


The Life of Dawn Swan

by ScarletMarieLeaf



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Action/Adventure, Animal Ears, Animal Instincts, Best Friends, Blended family, Blood Drinking, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Elemental Magic, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Secrets, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, Relationship(s), Sexual Content, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Tension, Supernatural Elements, Swearing, Twilight books
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-05-15 21:47:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 93,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14798552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletMarieLeaf/pseuds/ScarletMarieLeaf
Summary: Living in the quaint little town of Forks, Washington is a quiet and comfortable life for young Dawn Swan; she has space to run and be herself, a loving family and good friends. But when her stepsister, Bella's, mother remarries, she makes the tough choice to move to Forks to live with her father and his blended family for the rest of her high school career. A simple enough arrangement for their family...until Bella comes into contact with the mysterious Cullen clan and begins to notice something she hadn't before: the world of the supernatural that's intermixed with her own, a world, she's soon to discover, her blended family has kept from her for years. As Bella unravels the secrets her family has tried to keep under wraps, Dawn fights to keep her stepsister safe against the hidden dangers of her world, even as Bella appears to be falling for the one who's inadvertently introduced her to its' wonders: Edward Cullen. How will Bella fare in the supernatural realm from which the Cullens and her family originate? Will Dawn be able to keep her alive and safe or will she lose her stepsister to its' depths forever?





	1. Moving In

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lostfeather1](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Lostfeather1).



> Helloooooo my fellow pack members, I'm back with an all new story, yay! This is a story I'd worked on in the past and put down for a long while to pursue other works, like my TWD fanfic, but since that was going so well, I thought I'd give this one another shot. This story follows my OC, Dawn Swan (I know it sounds silly, but I like the name Dawn, it sounds very pretty) as she tries to help Bella through her transition into Forks and, later, into the supernatural world. But don't worry, she isn't going to be like a puppy dog following Bella around ALL the time, there are going to be chapters where you get to see into her personal life, like this one, so it isn't going to be all about Bella. 
> 
> That being said, I really hope you guys enjoy this story, I really had a lot of fun writing it and creating my characters, Dawn and her family, what the house looks like, etc. Anything you'd like to comment, just do so at the end of the chapter, tell me whether you like it or not, tell me if there's every anything I need to change or fix and I will get right on it. Writer's grow with constructive criticism! 
> 
> But, anyway, enough babbling, I'll let you all get on to the story. I'll talk to you all soon!
> 
> Signed, your alpha, ScarletMarieLeaf
> 
> Disclaimer: I do NOT own the twilight series, novel or movies, plot or characters, they belong to Stephenie Meyer.

An early morning breeze blew in from the east, making its way through the forest, carrying the scent of rain and cool, damp foliage, tantalizing my sinuses as it drifted in through my open bedroom windows. I inhaled the familiar, soothing aroma, my ears tilting to listen to the subtle orchestra of the trees dancing just outside as I got dressed by the weak morning light; through the midnight blue curtains that adorned my windows, the sky was overcast, blanketed in a near constant layer of multi-shaded grey clouds that was typical for the northwestern Washington town of Forks. It was in this little town, located in the heart of the Olympic Peninsula, that my family had made our home.

 

This was the town in which my younger twin half-brothers and I had been born, raised by our mother and my step-father in a house my mother’s family had built several generations before her own. It had originally been meant as a summer home since most of her family were northeastern bound people, content with the life of New Englanders, although upon my mother’s marriage to my birth father they had been given the house as a gift. From what my mother’s told me it was what they’d preferred, a quiet, comfortable life in a small town they both enjoyed. Growing up in said quiet, peaceful town and being able to enjoy its many tranquil benefits for myself, I could understand how my mixed family would have chosen a place like this to settle down in. Especially considering what my original family was before my birth father’s death and what my current family is now.

 

We aren’t what you’d call human…well, not all of us, at least. My step-father is very much human. But my birth father, mother, brothers, and I, we were all different. The term mixed family is very different for us than it is for other people, in we’re not mixing races, nor just family, in terms of my step-father taking me in as a child, but we are mixing species. All three parents I had were different species. My birth father had been a vampire, my mother what western culture would call a demon, and my brothers half demons. I was a half demon vampire.

 

Now, before anyone starts freaking out, let me get one thing straight: when I say we’re demons, I don’t mean we’re the kind of demons that fit the Christian definition. We don’t worship Satan, we don’t work for him, we’re not from Hell. We _are_ creatures of mythology, just none of that religious nonsense. No, our mythology is of Asian origin, mainly from Japanese culture. We are what they call Yokai, supernatural monsters that make up many of the Japanese folklore much in the same way vampires or werewolves do western folklore. And like these other creatures, we do have human appearances with additional traits that make us our own apparitions. These traits just depended on the type of demon we were and, yes, there were different species of demons, shocking, I know.

 

In my family’s case, we were a pack of wolves. We had the senses, instincts, and traits of wolves, from our strong pack mentality right down to our love of wide open spaces that gave us the total freedom to throw our arms out wide and just run. A freedom Forks afforded us, with forests and meadows so endless it gave us just the right amount of room to run to our hearts’ content and keep our secret tucked away so deeply within its’ depths that humans would not be able to find it. Not to mention the secrets of the other supernatural families that had chosen this town as their home.

 

A high-pitched _ding_ drew my attention to the nightstand on the left-hand side of my bed, my ears turning instinctively toward the noise as my cell phone vibrated a couple inches across the smooth wooden surface, announcing the arrival of a text message.

 

 _(Speaking of other supernatural families.)_ I buttoned up my favorite pair of skinny jeans and smoothed the wrinkles out of my oversized violet sweater as I rounded the bed to unhook the device from it’s charger and unlock it. The name that rolled across the top of the screen pulled the corners of my lips upward in smile and I shook my head, bemused, as I slid the keyboard out to type a reply, _(Even if she’s already in class, Alice would never miss a chance to check in. She’s sweet, but she doesn’t have to worry so much about me. She knows I’m not fragile.)_

 

Sending the text out, I slid the keyboard back into place and took a quick glance at the time before sliding my phone into the pocket of my blue jeans; I needed to hurry and get down to breakfast before it got too late, since my mother would need to head out soon to her job at the hospital (she was a nurse) and my brothers needed to get to school themselves. Grabbing my iPod, earbuds, and wallet, I tucked my iPod and earbuds into the free pocket in front, my wallet in the back, and turned toward the full-length mirror next to my dresser.

 

The young woman that stared back at me looked very much human, a near perfect clone of my mother, but with a few minor changes; I had my mother’s oval shaped face and slender frame, but my complexion was just a shade paler than hers’, not enough to be entirely noticeable at a quick glance but something I attributed to my vampiric side. My hair was not the midnight black my mother’s was, nor was it quite as straight, but it was a dark enough shade to bring emphasize to the natural highlights of chocolate brown that were interwoven into my tresses as they fell in gentle waves over my shoulders and down my back. My eyes were hers’ in shape, although the color was not quiet the fiery blue lightning hers’ were, but rather a softer color, something of a mix of blue-green, a pond clouded with algae.

 

It was the features that my demon side provided that broke the illusion; although her ears were pointed at the top where a human’s might not be, my mother could pass for one since they were in the right place on either side of her head. I placed my brush back on the dresser next to me, eyes flickering up to the triangle-shaped wolf ears that sat at the crown of my head as they inclined toward my reflection, watching the weak morning light bounce dully off the three silver studs and loop earring on the edge of each ear before my gaze was drawn down as something soft brushed against the back of my legs. My tail curled itself around my left thigh and I reached down to run my claws gently through it, brushing a few wayward strands of thick, black/brown hair back into place. It was these features that physically separated my brothers and I from looking human…and demons like us. Our mother had a tail, too, of course, but even with the additional difficulty of hiding our ears, our family had always had a way of hiding ourselves in plain sight.

 

The creak of an old floorboard drew my attention, my ears swiveling toward the noise as I turned away from the mirror. Sure, steady footsteps moved across the floorboards of the room on the other side of the navy-blue curtains that sectioned off my bedroom and I lifted my nose, briefly, to take in the musk of a young male wolf intermixed with leather and denim that I immediately recognized.

 

Parting the curtains, I peered over the edge of my corner loft into the main room of the old attic library/renovated bedroom to where one of my younger brothers was crossing the floor. His stride slowed as I stepped into view around the curtain, an easy smile twisting his lips as he cocked his head up at me, his own ears inclining toward me as he swept his brunette bangs out of his dancing brown eyes.

 

“We were starting to wonder if you’d died up there.” He crossed his arms as I wrinkled my nose playfully at him, “Ma was just about to send a search party for you.”

 

“I’m not that late.” I stepped over the edge and dropped the several stories from the top of my tower room to the floor, rolling my weight from my toes back into my heels as I landed. The house had been built with four bedrooms, the library built into the attic on the third floor to allow for more space; one of the bedrooms on the second floor had been turned into an office for my mother and step-father, leaving three for us to use. My parents, step-sister, and I had been comfortable with the three rooms, until we found out my little brothers were on the way and we had to make some changes. My mother and Charlie, my step-father, had offered to turn the office into another bedroom, but I’d chosen to take up residence in one of the two corner towers in the attic, the one area of the house I’d spent so much of my childhood in already that neither of our parents could think to refuse it. I got the privacy of my own room with a floor between myself and the rest of my family with the added bonus of an attached bathroom, so I wouldn’t have to share one with my younger brothers on a daily basis. It was every independence seeking teenager’s dream. A dream I was to be sharing soon.

 

“You’re cutting it pretty damn close, Dawn.” I quirk a brow at my younger brother, who smirked back at me, knowing I wouldn’t tattle on him for swearing like that unless we knew our mother was in earshot and would punish us both for it. It wasn’t that bad a swear, but he was still only thirteen and she didn’t want him to get used to having such a bad habit like that. Shaking my head, I playfully tussle his hair, chuckling to myself in bemusement as he ducked out from under my hand, muttering about how I’d messed up his ‘do’ while I mentally thanked whatever God that was out there that he had yet to hit his growth spurt and overtake me in height. It was bad enough the twins were growing up so fast without them being taller than me at only thirteen! “Ma wants to at least see you and make sure everything’s all set for Bella’s arrival before she has to leave for her shift at the hospital.”

 

Bella was the step-sister I had mentioned earlier, Charlie’s daughter from his first marriage. She was about my age and lived with her mother, Renee, in Phoenix. Charlie had been born and raised here in Forks just as my brothers and I were, so he was quite attached to the town, although Renee, who’d hated being somewhere under a constant blanket of clouds, had left with Bella when she was a few months old. Up until the age of fourteen, Bella had come to visit us here in Forks for a month every summer before she’d finally put her foot down and said enough. A new arrangement was made, and my family instead spent two weeks of our summers visiting Bella and Renee in California for the past three years. However, due to Renee’s recent marriage to a baseball player named Phil, who, consequently, travelled due to his work, Bella had decided to come live here in Forks with us, so her mother could be with her new husband. I would be sharing the attic with her now as she would be moving into the empty tower at the other end of the room, which had been made up just for her arrival. Since we’d found out her intention to move here, my mother had gone to great lengths to get it ready for her, so she would feel at home; she would want to make sure I’d finished making room for Bella, especially since she wouldn’t be around to make sure of it herself.

 

“We’d better get downstairs, then.” I double-checked to make sure I had everything, “C’mon, Henry, let’s not keep everyone waiting.” I shooed him toward the door, earning a chuckle of amusement in return as we crossed the room, my eyes sweeping along the length of it to be sure all the windows and balcony was closed before we followed the staircase that lead down to the second floor. We could hear our mother calling for the two of us as I closed the attic door at the back of the house and we passed the stairs leading directly down into the kitchen to the one that led down into the front hall.

 

“Did you drag your feet the entire way up there?” Henry took his backpack from the identical young man that waited for us at the door as he quirked an eyebrow at the two of us, lips pursed in disapproval, ears pressed down against his neat brown hair and dark brown eyes narrowed behind a pair of wire rim glasses.

 

“I wouldn’t have if you didn’t ride me so much, Geo.” Henry shrugged his backpack on and bent to pull on his boots; Geoffrey rolled his eyes, obviously unimpressed, “You’re hilarious, Henry, I’m sure a snail would laugh, too, if they’d heard your joke yesterday.”

 

“Now boys, no fighting.” Our mother interrupted as Henry opened his mouth to bite back a retort, snapping it closed at the classic mom look she shot him as she came out of the living room, tucking her keys and wallet into the pockets of her scrubs. “Thank you for getting Dawn, Henry, now hurry along before you and Geoffrey miss your bus.” She shooed the twins out through the front doors, "And don’t forget to turn on your charms!”

 

Henry and Geoffrey kissed our mother on the cheeks on their way past as they left and the two of us watched them go until they disappeared through the trees surrounding our house. My mother than turned to me, tucking some hair back out of my face.

 

“I’m sorry I can’t stay long to see you and Charlie off, sweetheart.” Her smile was sheepish, and I knew she wished she didn’t have to work such an early shift today, so she could be here to help with Bella when we picked her up from the airport. I smile in return, trying to reassure her that it couldn’t be helped, even as it caused her to sigh sadly at the knowledge she wouldn’t be here to make sure things went smoothly. “Well…you and Charlie just be sure Bella gets comfortable and feels welcome here, okay? You did make room for her like I asked, didn’t you?”

 

I nodded my head, hoping my mother would be able to relax once Bella was settled in since she’d been running herself ragged getting things ready for her arrival, “Yes mama, I made sure to clear half the shelves in the bathroom for Bella to use. Her room is set up with everything from her old room when she used to visit. She might not have ever liked Forks, but she should be comfortable.” I hugged my mother tight, “Now please relax, it’s going to be okay, mama. Charlie and I will make sure Bella gets settled right in, okay?” I pulled away to look at her, smiling gently at her, reassuringly. She took a deep, steady breath and smiled gently back.

 

“Okay, baby girl.” She cupped my cheeks and kissed my forehead gently before retreating fully, “You just be sure to call if you, Charlie, or Bella need anything.”

 

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes in loving exasperation as I pulled my mother’s jacket from the row of hooks next to the door, helping her into it, “We know, mama, we know. If there’s an emergency and we can’t reach you by cell, we’ll call the hospital. Now can you go? Carlisle might have gained endless patience over his centuries of being alive but that doesn’t mean you should keep him waiting, he’s probably already wondering where you are as is!” She wrinkled her nose playfully at me over her shoulder, making me snort, bemused, “We’ll see you tonight when you get home. I’ll be sure to have dinner ready.”

 

“Thank you, Dawn.” My mother kissed my cheek one last time before she pulled on her own boots and walked through the two sets of double doors that let out onto the porch, turning back briefly, “And you be sure to have breakfast before you and Charlie go, too. I left a plate for you wrapped up on the table.”

 

I shook my head, bemused, as I started to swing the door closed behind her, “Goodbye mother.” I told her pointedly, watching her until she was through the screened porch door before I closed the front door behind her. Her car reeved to life out in the driveway not a minute later, the sounds of dirt and gravel crunching under tire fading into the distance as I crossed the front room to the hall leading back into our kitchen.

 

Charlie was still seated at the kitchen table situated in the bay window in a corner of the room, reading the newspaper as he sipped his coffee. The table had already been cleared by now, the breakfast dishes drying in the rack alongside the basin sink, including the skillet and spatula my mother had used to cook, the essentials usually laid out to use returned to their places in the fridge and pantry. My plate had been left at my usual place at the table, covered in plastic wrap to keep it fresh with a pair of utensils left alongside it.

 

“Mornin’ Dawn.” Charlie didn’t even look up as I rounded the kitchen island to grab a glass from the cabinet and pour myself a glass of orange juice. I crossed the room to the table, kissing the top of his head as I sat down, “Morning dad.”

 

“You slept in late today.” This time he did glance up, one eyebrow quirking over the top of his newspaper; I shrugged as I unwrapped my breakfast and dug in, “Enjoying my day of hooky from school, which I never do unless it’s for something like this.” I grinned playfully at my step-father around a forkful of egg as he gave me a stern look, nodding his head.

 

“That’s right, young lady, you’d better not.” His voice held the combined authority of a paternal figure and a man in uniform, “You need an education, no ditching classes for smoking and fooling around.”

 

I ducked my head to hide my amusement as a corner of his lip twitched to show the teasing undertones in his voice and I stifled my laughter with a couple of pieces of bacon I’d broken into bite-sized pieces with my fingers, “Two things not even close to being on my agenda considering I hate the smell of cigarettes and haven’t had my first kiss, much less a date.”

 

“Says the girl who stays out past curfew up in La Push.” Charlie folded up his paper and set it aside to look at me fully, “Dare I even ask what you and Jacob get up to when you’re hanging out at his house?”

 

Warmth rushed into my ears at the mention of the young man I’d been best friends with since we were both in diapers; Charlie had grown up with Jacob’s father, Billy Black, too, and the two were best friends, meaning our families had been around one another for most of our lives. My siblings and I had made friends with all three of the Black children, although Jacob and I had always been attached at the hip, practically since the first time we’d met. The Blacks lived in La Push, the tiny Indian reservation on the coast, just north of Forks. When we weren’t hanging out here at my house, we were usually in the shed out behind his, his ‘workshop’ where he liked to work on cars. The last I’d seen Jacob had been a few days ago when he’d brought his dad’s old truck over; Charlie had bought it from Billy as a ‘homecoming’ present for Bella since she didn’t want to depend on either of our parents or me for transportation all the time.

 

Unfortunately, in my family, though, the close relationship I had with my best friend, a guy (la gasp!) made for good teasing material that my family was not shy about using at any given opportunity.

 

“Geeze, you miss curfew once and you never hear the end of it.” I gulped down the last of my juice and gathered my dishes together, as well as Charlie’s cup when I was sure he was finished with it, and brought them to the sink to wash, “And here I thought you liked Jacob.”

 

“I do, he’s a good kid.” Charlie agreed as he helped clear away the clean dishes to make room, “Even more so when he doesn’t keep you over there at all hours on a school night.”

 

“It wasn’t all hours, dad, and you know it.” I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye as he stared at me, stern, “It wasn’t like I got in at three in the morning, it was hardly even midnight. And I’d already explained how we’d ended up falling asleep watching TV in his living room, remember? It wasn’t like we were out partying all night.”

 

Charlie sighed, conceding, “All right, let’s not get into this whole thing again. So long as you got home safe and sound.” He put the last dish away as I dried my hands and hung the dish towel over the side of the sink. “It hardly ever happens anyway.” I hummed my agreement as he glanced at the digital neon green numbers of the clock on the stove. “C’mon, we don’t want to be late picking Bella up from the airport.”

 

I nod and follow my stepfather out of the kitchen to the front hall, where we grab our jackets from the hooks on the wall, slip into our shoes, Charlie grabs his keys and we head out. We locked up and left the cover of the screened-in wrap around porch for his cruiser, waiting for us in the gravel driveway leading up to the detached garage on the side of the house. Being the children of the chief of police to such a small town, I could understand my stepsister’s motivation to want to get a car of her own; even if my own car were to break down, I would really rather avoid not driving around in a car equipped with its own flashing red/blue lights and siren. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Charlie, he’d raised me from a toddler when he and my mother got together and he treated me as his daughter just as much as he did Bella, but still…the only reason I’d agreed to use it today was because Charlie was used to being the one to drive in the car and I didn’t feel like being the one to have to drive the hour each to and from Port Angeles. Might as well try to save the gas if I can.

 

“Hey dad?” I looked over at him as he pulled around to drive the half mile it took to reach the main road; he hummed to let me know he was listening as I pulled my iPod out of my pocket, “’s alright if I listen to my music on the way?”

 

He glanced at me as we reached the end of our road and checked both ways before turning the corner, “Only if you hide your ears first.”

 

“What?” I reached up to touch the twitching appendages and cursed under my breath, having forgotten to activate my charm before we’d left. It was just a good thing we lived in such a remote location so no one but Charlie had been able to see this without freaking out. Unzipping the top of my jacket, I fished around under the collar of my shirt until my fingers brushed familiar, cool metal and I pulled the charmed necklace out into view, flipping it around until the dull colors of the flaming heart crest of my mother’s family stared back at me. It was a symbol unique to our family, a sign of our place in the supernatural world that connected all of us in more ways than one. It showed what clan we belonged to and provided us the protection from prying eyes we needed to live, enchanted with magic to hide our inhumane features so we could better blend in with the population. Magic that could only be activated by a customized word or phrase the wearer uttered whenever they wished to turn the charm on or off.

 

 _*” Denmaku no okami.”_ I held the charm up close to my lips as I whispered the phrase to it; a familiar shiver rolled down my spine as the charm took effect, a brief tingle left behind that caused the hair all over my body to stand on end, then relax. I grabbed the sun visor and flipped open the mirror, peering in at the young woman that stared back at me, turning my head from one side to the other to check to make sure my ‘human’ ears were in place, still with the three studs and loop earring in each. I sighed in relief and flipped the visor up again, settling back into my seat, “Thanks for reminding me, dad.”

 

“Hm mm.” Charlie hummed quietly as I unfurled my headphones and plugged them into my iPod; he turned on the radio to his favorite station to listen to his own music and we lapsed into a comfortable silence. Charlie had never been much of a talker, at least, not in most situations, unless it was of great importance. My brothers and I knew this well about him and had grown used to it as we got older, knowing even if he didn’t talk he would still listen and be there for us when he needed to be. He usually didn’t really mind if we listened to our music in the car, although we tried to extend curtesy in return by keeping at least one of our earbuds out just in case he did want to talk. Like most rides with Charlie, though, the hour drive up to Port Angeles was quiet, spent listening to our own music while we were off in our own little world.

 

Another advantage of riding along with Charlie to the airport was being able to admire the scenery outside without having to worry about focusing on the road and making sure I knew where I was going. Most of my life centered around being in the wide-open forests of Forks and the beaches of La Push, so I was used to the freedom and bliss of the quiet, clean atmosphere; I’d been up to port Angeles a handful of times, so I knew the way there just as well as I knew my way around Forks and La Push, but the sprawling hustle and bustle of the city was not something I really enjoyed. I usually preferred not to spend too much time there if I could avoid it. Being confined within the brick and concrete streets, among a population of billions gave me the feeling of being caged, like a dog in an overpopulated pound, especially when the overstimulation of everything going on around me, the constant noise and differing sights, the array of smells and constant movement, was enough to make my head spin.

 

Thankfully we wouldn’t even have to enter the city to pick Bella up today, as the small airport where she would be landing was just on the edge of the city limits. We got to the terminal just as the plane landed and only had to wait about five minutes before the passengers could disembark.

 

“Hey Bells,” Charlie smiled as his daughter stumbled off the plane and he reached out automatically to catch her before the two exchanged an awkward, one-armed hug. “You haven’t changed. How’s Renee?”

 

“Mom’s good.” Bella replied as she turned to greet me next, hugging me fully; Bella took a lot after Charlie, as neither were never overtly affectionate people, although they always put the effort into it when it came to the rest of our family. “It’s good to see you both. Where’s everyone else?” She half-heartedly looked around for my mother and our brothers.

 

“They wanted to come, but we figured you wouldn’t want everyone here.” I told her with a smile, knowing Bella had never really been one to like being the center of attention, “Besides, ma had an early shift and you know how Geoffrey is about school.”

 

Bella nodded her head in understanding, trying to hide her relief at knowing she wouldn’t be fussed over now as we went to grab her few bags. A lot of the clothes she’d owned had strictly belonged in the warm weather of Arizona, although she and Renee had managed to get her some clothes to supplement her winter wardrobe when she moved here, even if it wasn’t much. We managed to fit it all into the trunk of the cruiser.

 

I put my iPod away in favor of talking to Bella as we shared the backseat of the cruiser on the way back home; even with the added trait from Charlie being she didn’t talk much, Bella still did her best to keep up a conversation. We’d gotten close over the years we’d known one another and had kept up close contact even when living in different states. I was always the one she talked to when she had a problem, including when everything had happened with Renee when she’d gotten remarried; Bella had been worried about her mother since she’d been miserable being away from her new husband and I’d jokingly suggested she move in with us so Renee could be with Phil, thinking it an impossibility since I knew how much she hated it here. Bella had laughed it off at first.

 

Now I was telling her how we would be sharing the attic and promising I would be showing her around my high school the following morning. She seemed to feel better knowing she at least had someone she knew at a new school.

 

“Oh, we’ve also got a surprise for you!” I smiled at Bella, who quirked a brow suspiciously at me; surprises were on her list of least favorite things, just below rain and clouds. “It’s nothing too bad, don’t worry. We got you a good car, really cheap.”

 

Bella’s eyebrows relaxed, “What kind of car is it?”

 

“Well, it’s really a truck.” Charlie was watching us through the rearview mirror, “A Chevy.”

 

“Where’d you two find a car like that for cheap?” Bella furrowed her brows this time, looking between the two of us.

 

“Dad’s old friend, Billy Black, the one who lives in La Push.” I told her, knowing she wouldn’t remember him since she tended to block out thoughts or memories she didn’t want remembered, most of them being the ones she’d made here in Forks. She cocked her head at me, still looking unsure who that could be, “He used to go fishing with all of us during the summer when you were here.” Her nose scrunched at those memories, “But, Uncle Billy’s in a wheelchair now, so he can’t really drive anymore. When he found out you needed a car, he offered to sell the truck to dad cheap.”

 

“What year is it?” I noticed Charlie subconsciously flinch at the question, although he kept his eyes on the road.

 

“Well…Billy had a lot of work done on the engine, it’s just a couple years old, really.”

 

Bella pursed her lips, not ready yet to give up on the subject, “When did Billy buy the truck?”

 

“1984, I think.”

 

“Was it new?”

 

Charlie took a hand off the wheel to rub his neck, as though unsure how to answer. I cocked my head to the other side as I tried to remember what Jacob had told me about the car, “I think Jake said it was new in the late fifties to the early sixties.”

 

Bella’s face scrunched in displeasure, “Guys, I don’t really know anything about cars, you know this.” She looked pointedly at me as she spoke, “If something went wrong, I wouldn’t be able to fix it nor would I be able to afford a mechanic.”

 

“The truck runs great, Bella, I promise.” I smiled reassuringly, waving her concerns away, “There isn’t a car built like this one anymore. Besides, if something goes wrong, I know a bit about cars to where I could help you and if it breaks down, I can talk to Jake about fixing it. He’s the one that rebuilt the engine.”

 

This seemed to help calm some of Bella’s worries, although her brows remained furrowed as she glanced between me and Charlie, “How cheap is cheap?” I know that was the one thing she couldn’t exactly compromise on, especially if it meant she was getting a lemon.

 

“Well…” Charlie exchanged a look with me through the rearview mirror, “To be honest, honey, we kinda already bought it for you, as a homecoming gift.” Bella’s eyes stretched wide in surprise, “Really? You guys didn’t have to do that, I was going to save for it myself.”

 

“We really didn’t mind, Bella.” I smiled reassuringly at her as Charlie nodded his head quietly in agreement, his eyes on the road again; just as they were with affection, neither Charlie nor Bella were exactly good at showing their emotions. She smiled all the same as she looked at me.

 

“That’s really nice, Dawn, dad, thank you.” She put a hand over mine, squeezing briefly, “I really appreciate it.”

 

I shrug a bit, letting her know she didn’t have to force herself if she didn’t want to, “We wanted to make you feel welcome and comfortable here.” I kept out the word happy knowing living in Forks was like her worst nightmare, even as she tried to hide it for others’ sake, especially so her mother could be happy. We both knew better and I turned my hand over to squeeze hers’ in turn, to let her know she had someone here for her when she needed. Her answering squeeze was tight and I could see the gratitude in her eyes as she looked at me.

 

Bella seemed relieved when we reached the house and Charlie pulled the cruiser up to the garage, parking in the empty space alongside my midnight blue Toyota Camry. Her truck was parked on the other side, a faded red, equipped with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. It was a sturdy old truck with a solid iron frame that would withstand anything, the kind of car that could come out of a car crash completely unscathed, leaving the other car(s) in pieces. I could tell immediately that as soon as Bella set her eyes on it, she loved it. Even if she had a hard time expressing herself, her facial expressions made it as easy to read her as a book.

 

“Wow,” she breathed as we all climbed out of the car; Charlie and I stood back to watch as she rounded my car for a better look, “I love it!” She turned back to the two of us, smiling. Behind the excitement and gratitude, I could see the immense relief she had at knowing she wouldn’t have to chose between getting a ride in the cruiser with Charlie, asking me for a ride, or walking in the rain tomorrow, even if she knew I never would have allowed that. The school was five miles away and no way in hell was I going to let her walk, especially considering she would need to take the highway to get there. “Thank you.”

 

Charlie cleared his throat gruffly, evidently embarrassed as he mumbled that he was glad she liked it as he busied himself with getting Bella’s suitcases out of the trunk. I rolled my eyes and grinned playfully at my stepsister before glancing up at the rolling clouds as the drizzle was beginning to pick up. Charlie ushered us through the screen door onto the porch and I let us into the front hall, where we hung up our jackets and set our shoes on a rack by the door to dry before we headed upstairs to get Bella settled into the attic.

 

The tower room that would be Bella’s had been made up with everything that had been hers’ when she used to come visit us as a kid, mementos from her first bedroom in the house Charlie had bought with Renee when they’d been newlyweds. It’d been painted the same light blue, the windows covered in the old yellow lace curtains, rocking chair from her infancy next to the closet, although her furniture had been updated, the bed from a twin to a queen, dresser taller and a full-length mirror like I had. We both had our own desks, and computers, in our rooms, for homework and so Bella could keep in contact with her mother through email.

 

Charlie left us alone once we had Bella’s bags in her room, something I knew she preferred, especially now, since it gave her room to brood over her decision. I stuck around long enough to show her where the hangers were in her new closet, how to start her computer, and let her know I’d left room on the shelves in the bathroom, before telling her I would be reading a book in my room if she needed to talk and leaving her to her own thoughts.

 

The attic was about the size of a two bedroom apartment, with the two towers taking up the west and south corners of the house; my bedroom was in the west tower since the saltwater shores were on that side of the state and I’d always enjoyed the scent of the sea, which I could see through my windows, the La Push reservation just to the north. Bella’s view to the south/east would be of the alpine meadows and rainforest valleys. Views we could enjoy together on the enclosed balcony under my room. The closet under Bella’s was used mainly for storage, including extra chairs, blankets, pillows, and a couple of beanbag chairs for when we had guests. The floor space between the closet and the stairs on the northeast wall leading back into the rest of the house was used as a TV area, complete with DVD/VCR and my old Nintendo 64 PlayStation, with a variety of games Jake and I liked to play together whenever he hung out here, although our favorites were Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart, especially when our other friends, Embry and Quil, decided to join us. The bathroom Bella and I would share was in the northern corner of the room, a room decorated in varying shades of blue with separate shower and bathtub, as well as its own little closet to store extra bathroom necessities. Our kitchenette, which was mainly used whenever I had guests or locked myself in the attic to study for mid-terms or finals, shared a wall with the bathroom sinks and the little area between that wall and the west tower was used as a reading area.

 

Grabbing a favorite from one of the shelves on the way, I climbed the winding iron steps back up to my room, pushing up on the hatch until it swung open to catch on the hook attached to the side of my wardrobe behind it. I paused briefly to eye the wide curtains that sectioned off the tower from the rest of the attic, wondering if I should open them so Bella knew she could talk to me if she needed to before deciding against it. Knowing her as well as I did, I knew my stepsister would want some time to herself to take in the gravity of her decision without someone constantly asking her how she was feeling or if she was comfortable, no matter how well intentioned it was. As much as I wanted to try and offer an ear to her if she needed it, especially knowing how much this hurt her to have to leave her mother and live somewhere she hated, I knew Bella didn’t often like to depend or lean on others, no matter how much she might need to. She was one of those ‘suffer in silence’ kind of people, which frustrated me to no end, especially since I knew there wasn’t anything I could do to help her so long as she kept her feelings to herself

 

 _(Sometimes I think Bella would sooner bite off her own tongue than emotionally depend on someone else.)_ I sigh as I turned away from the curtains to cross the room to my bed; I grabbed one of my smaller pillows and climbed onto the hope chest before launching myself up into the rafters in the peaked top of the tower, climbing carefully into the hammock I had made up to relax in. Hopefully she could at least be comfortable in her new room, which had otherwise been used as a study area before she’d decided to move in.

 

Both rooms had been made up almost the same way, with the beds and side tables fit snuggly between the pair of windows that were on the outer walls of the towers, across from the open drop into the main room, although the rest of the furniture was arranged on opposite sides of each room as a way to work around where the hatch was placed. While Bella’s stairs went counterclockwise and let out into her room on the right side, mine went clockwise and let out on the left. Behind my hatch was, of course, my wardrobe and a single plush blue chair, while against the other wall was my dresser, full length mirror, and desk/computer. Bella’s room was a mirror image of mine, except she had her rocking chair instead of a regular chair and we’d had an iron banister installed at the drop off edge of her room for safety, since she was notorious for being a klutz. She had a knack for tripping over thin air even when trying to be careful.

 

I settled back into my hammock to read, although my mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of my stepsister, worries about her settling in here, about how she would fit in to my school tomorrow, if she would feel comfortable here with our blended family. How we were going to break our secret to her without her freaking out.

 

Despite our family being what it was since Bella and I had been toddlers, she had never really been around long enough to find out the family secret. Charlie knew, of course, he’d found out just shortly after meeting my mother, who’d wanted to be forthright with him in their relationship; he’d been very understanding about the whole thing, surprisingly, and had informed us he hadn’t cared what we were, just that he loved us and wanted to be with us, readily accepting the supernatural world for my and my mother’s sake, although he was more than content just knowing our secret. He never pushed us to tell him if there was another supernatural family or creature nearby unless it was of great importance. But, in Bella’s case, our parents had decided to keep our secret under wraps for her safety, especially since she didn’t use to spend a lot of time here with us before. But, since she’d decided to move in, we’d been debating if we should let her in on it and, if we did, how we would go about it. You can’t exactly just spring the fact that half your relatives were a family of humanoid canines and expect that to go over well. Especially when the one you’re rooming with must include blood in their diet to stay alive.

 

We had to go about this carefully. Find the right moment. Perhaps once Bella was settled in and used to living in Forks. There was no use piling things on her all at once, not when she’d had to give up so much and change her entire life like this. She’d just had to say goodbye to the place she loved and everything in it: her mother, school, her home. Her plate was already full enough moving into a new house and getting used to her new living arrangements with her father, stepmother/sister, and younger twin brothers. Not to mention get used to a new school and class of students who had known one another since we were in kindergarten. Hell, all the grandparents of the other kids in my junior class had been toddlers together, for crying out loud! And that was damn intimidating for anyone to have to join into, even for someone who was outgoing and personable.

 

And for someone like Bella? My stepsister, who had a hard time connecting with people, let alone teenagers our own age. In our entire lives, I’d been the closest friend she’d ever had, even when she’d been going to a school with three thousand other students back in Phoenix. Forks High School’s pitiful total of three hundred and fifty-eight couldn’t even compare to Bella’s junior class of over seven hundred students. Even if I was to introduce her to a couple of friends of mine, I didn’t know if she’d be able to connect with them.

 

 _(You could always introduce Bella to Alice and her family.)_ I snorted aloud at my own thoughts, _(Yeah, I’m sure that’ll go over well. ‘Bella, these are my friends, the Cullens and the Hales. Guys, this is my stepsister, she’s new in town and could really use some friends, you think she could hang with us since she can’t connect with normal people?’)_

 

The sound of footsteps out in the main room drew my attention once more and I replaced my bookmark where it had been before, my thoughts too preoccupied to have made much progress past the first sentence on the page as I left the book where I was laying to crawl across the rafters to the edge of my room. I watched Bella walk the length of the attic, carrying the bag that held her bathroom necessities in her arms as she made a beeline for our shared bathroom, staring ahead with a far off, blank look in her eyes while her cheeks were stained with the remnants of tears. I sat cross-legged on one of the rafters, watching her go as a vice squeezed my heart tight in it’s unforgiving grip.

 

Never in our lives had I seen Bella look as…empty as she did right now, not even when she’d come here during the summer, although that could have been contributed to the fact that back then she knew she didn’t have to stay for more than a couple of weeks before she could go home to Phoenix. She was almost like a shell of her former self, like all the life had been sucked out of her, more so since Forks always seemed to suck what little color there was out of her skin. Even after living in the valley of the sun since she was six, Bella still retained a pale complexion that could rival my own, although it was softer, somehow, with a clear, translucent quality that contrasted well with her straight, dark brown hair, especially when it framed her heart-shaped face just right and made her bright, chocolate brown eyes pop. Bella could be quite attractive with the right light or if she wore the right colors, but now, she looked like she had the flu. Part of it was most likely homesickness, but it probably didn’t help matters that Bella had always been kinda tiny. And I don’t mean short or anything like that, but rather, she was slender, with soft curves, but no visible muscle or padding, for that matter. Something that could probably be, partially, attributed to her clumsiness since it left her without the necessary hand-eye coordination needed to play a sport of any kind. Something I knew I would have to talk to our P.E. teacher about tomorrow if we hoped to keep Bella from humiliating/hurting herself or anyone else who could be standing too close. Even for just her first day.

 

 _(Well…even I can’t do much in the way of cheering her up, I can, at the very least, make her transition into school as painless as possible.)_ I leaned my head back into the wall as Bella disappeared around the bathroom door. _(Please God, let everything go smoothly tomorrow…not for my sake, but for Bella’s. She at least deserves that much.)_

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

The rest of the day was quiet; Charlie only came up once to bother us around lunchtime to see if we were hungry but didn’t linger long once he knew neither Bella or I were going to eat. Bella stayed in her bedroom on her own, repeating that she wasn’t hungry when I told her I was headed down to the kitchen to get started on dinner around five-thirty; since Charlie couldn’t cook anything more complex than fried eggs and bacon, whoever else was left in the house when our mother worked late had kitchen duty, an easy arrangement since she had taught all three of us kids to cook from the time we could walk and we each had varying schedules from clubs/sports after school. At least the family wouldn’t have to worry about a late meal or having to live on a diet of TV dinners.

 

I was the only one of the three of us home to cook tonight since Geoffrey had a student council meeting after school that ran until 6 and Henry had a math tutor he needed to study with twice a week.

 

My mother and Geoffrey got home in time for our dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread, mama expressing her worry over where Bella could be. I told her my stepsister was tired from her long day and that she’d wanted to rest in her room for tonight, although I had the distinct impression she knew better, even as she let the matter drop, for now. No doubt she was just as worried about Bella as I was, but we both knew her well enough to know pushing the issue would do none of us any good. Even if we didn’t like it, we had to let things lie and give Bella the space she needed to cope with things her own way. Forcing her to talk to us would only make her want to push away from us.

 

Mama did make sure, though, that Bella at least knew she had someone she could turn to if she ever needed when she talked to her at breakfast the next morning. If nothing else, hopefully that reminder would stick in her mind, so she knew she wasn’t quiet as alone here as she probably thought she was. We could only hope, especially as Bella only gave a faint, grateful smile in return and nodded quietly to mama as she and Charlie left before us for work, Charlie wishing Bella luck on her first day at school. She remained quiet through the rest of breakfast, silently observing Henry, Geoffrey, and I as we talked, reminding one another about our schedules and things we might have forgotten among a handful of quips that were normal in our everyday routine. Once or twice Geoffrey tried to include her in on the conversation, but she was still obviously distracted, not all that with us mentally as she was physically. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye once or twice, watching her closely as I debated whether she was quite ready to start school right now or if she might still need another day or so to get her bearings. Something I’d been contemplating since we’d gotten up that morning to get ready for school.

 

It’d been obvious as soon as I saw her that Bella hadn’t gotten all that much sleep last night, something easily recognizable from her summers here when we were kids, especially when it was emphasized by the remnants of the tears she’d shed the day before. Her eyes were still blotched and puffy while her face carried the weak scent of salt and water, usually undetectable unless one had a sensitive sense of smell strong enough to pick it up. Something neither my brothers, mama, or I had wanted to bring up since we thought it might upset or embarrass Bella, especially when she was tired and had a lot on her plate already. We all already knew how hard it was for her to sleep here, with how unused she was to the sounds of Forks compared to those she was used to in Phoenix. The noises that we were used to, sounds that usually helped the rest of us fall asleep like a naturally composed lullaby were distracting and unnerving to her.

 

“You sure you’re up for school right now, Bells?” I got up from the table, collecting my dishes together and bringing them to the sink to wash. I could feel her look over her shoulder at me, her gaze warm on my back, “I’m sure mama and Charlie would understand if you wanted to stay here and settle in a little. You look like you could use some more sleep.”

 

Her answering sigh was wary, resigned, “I’m fine…” I glanced back at her, watching Geoffrey quirk a brow while Henry was entirely distracted by his cereal box. “Really, I…there’s no point in putting it off.” She ducked her head, hiding behind the curtain of her hair as she quietly collected her dishes together, too, and brought them over to the sink, walking around me to dry and put away what I handed her. “And, even if I wanted to, just thinking about staying out of school for too long will only make me anxious and I wouldn’t be able to relax, let alone sleep. I just need to bite the preverbal bullet.”

 

I heaved a defeated sigh as I handed her the last dish and turned off the water, drying my hands on the dishtowel we kept slung over the edge of the sink, “Fine…but if you start feeling tired or overwhelmed, you tell me, got it?” I pinned her with a no nonsense look that told her I was being completely serious, “I’ll bring you back here to rest.”

 

Bella turned away from me to stack the dish in the cabinet and closed the door behind it, “About time to head out, isn’t it?” She dodged, glancing up at the old-fashioned clock on the wall. I peeked at it out of the corner of my eye, seeing it was 6:35 am. I didn’t usually head out until twenty of 7 since the high school was only ten minutes away, but it was better to get Bella there early on her first day, so we could get her schedule from the front office and I could show her around a little.

 

“Yeah…” I murmured, clearing my throat, “C’mon, we don’t want to be late.” She hung the towel she was holding on the handle of the oven and I ushered her around the kitchen island toward the front hall, pausing briefly to address Henry and Geoffrey before we left. They told us to have a good day, telling Bella good luck as we ‘suited up’ for the rainy weather, shrugged on our bags, and headed out into the drizzly morning. She hurried as quick as she could down the path to the driveway, flinching at the sloshy sound of the wet, foggy grass underfoot as she made a direct beeline for my Camry. We’d already agreed before she’d moved here that we’d carpool to school together until she got her own car, something I thought would have been negated once she had her truck.

 

Bella noticed my raised eyebrow as I rounded my car to the driver’s side, shivering in the cold, January air as it pressed in on her from all sides, “I thought we could still carpool, at least for the first day.” Her smile was sheepish, as though she was apologizing for the fact that our plans had had to change so quick. “It’ll give me a chance to figure out where it is without getting lost.”

 

“Are you really sure that’s what you want, though, Bella?” I gave her a gentle smile, my head cocked to the side, “We don’t _have_ to carpool, if you want to drive your truck, it’s completely fine with me, you can just follow me to school. My car isn’t exactly as indestructible as yours’.” I partially joked in hopes of making her smile more genuine, relaxed. It worked, to some degree, as she shrugged her shoulders, which seemed a little less tense than they were a minute ago. “Still rather carpool for the first day. Now can we get in the car? It’s freezing out here.”

 

I complied without further argument, letting the two of us into the Camry and cranking up the heat to help warm Bella up as I turned around and followed the length of our drive to the main road. It was fairly easy to find the high school, since it was one of the many things in town that was just off the highway, even though it might not have looked like a school at first glance. Unlike most schools, Forks High School was not one big, connected building, but a collection of smaller buildings that looked similar to small houses built out of maroon-colored bricks, dubbed with a sign out front that announced its’ status as an academic institution. It wasn’t overly large, making it easy to navigate, especially for new students, although I would still want to make sure there was someone around who would be able to show Bella where each of her classes were since I knew we wouldn’t have the exact same schedule.

 

Pulling up to the front office to park momentarily, since most of these spaces were usually reserved for teachers and staff, I led Bella up the little stone path between the rows of low, knee high bushes and held the door open for her before following her in. The front office was well lit inside and comfortably warm to combat the chilly weather, an achievable feat since the room was small, with a waiting room decorated with padded, folding chairs on the right of the door. Most of the walls held corkboards and were, otherwise, decorated with notices and awards, the familiar clock hung on the wall above the door ticking out the minutes loudly in the otherwise quiet room. Potted plants took up space on the orange-flecked commercial carpet where other furniture couldn’t fit on this half of the room, while the other was partially blocked from view behind a long counter in the middle of the floor. Every inch of the counter was covered, if not by brimming wire baskets than by multi-colored flyers announcing things from dances to sporting and academic events. Two of the three desks behind the counters were still empty, while the one in the middle was occupied by the red-haired receptionist, Ms. Cope. She peered up at us through her thick black glasses as we came into the office, raising her eyebrows a bit in surprise as I led the way toward her desk.

 

“Good morning, Dawn.” She still offered me a friendly smile; it wasn’t often I went into the office unless I needed something important, like the enrollment papers Charlie had asked me to get a few weeks before for Bella, “What brings you here, sweetheart?”

 

“Morning, Ms. Cope.” I greeted her warmly, leaning an arm on a stack of papers on the counter, “I thought I’d come in with my stepsister to get her schedule and everything.” I gestured to Bella, who hovered near my right shoulder, smiling weakly at Ms. Cope in hello, “Bella, this is Ms. Cope, Ms. Cope, this is my stepsister, Isabella Swan.”

 

Recognition sparked immediately in Ms. Cope’s eyes as she turned her attention to Bella; it hadn’t exactly been a secret that she would be arriving since mama and Charlie let others know as soon as the decision had been made. The news had, of course, travelled fast in our small town, especially since it concerned the chief of police and one of the best nurses at the local hospital.

 

“Yes, of course.” Ms. Cope dug through the multiple stacks of documents that littered her desk until she found the ones we needed, laying Bella’s schedule and a map of the school out on the counter for her to see. The three of us went over her classes and Ms. Cope helped me map out the best route to each of them for her before she handed over the map and Bella’s schedule. Along with them, she was given a slip of paper she would need each of her teachers to sign before it was to be returned here at the end of the day. Once we had everything, Ms. Cope wished Bella a good day and told her she hoped she would like it here in Forks. Bella nodded quietly back at her and I thanked Ms. Cope as we left.

 

The rest of the student body was just starting to arrive as we climbed back into my Camry and I pulled out to follow the line of cars around the school toward the student lot. Thankfully for Bella, she wouldn’t have to worry about her truck sticking out much since most of the students here had older cars just like she did, although with the one exception of the shiny silver Volvo that I pulled up alongside in the lot, just as I usually did.

 

Once we were parked, I made sure I had everything and told Bella I would wait for her before I climbed out of the car to give her a couple of minutes to memorize her schedule and take some deep breathes to steady herself. A few classmates waved hi on their way past and I smiled in return from where I leaned against the front bumper of my car, promising I would catch up later when they asked where I’d been yesterday, since it was one of those very rare days when I didn’t show up for school. I would need to find out what homework and assignments I would need to make up in each class when I wasn’t showing Bella around and introducing her to her teachers.

 

Once she was ready, Bella and I joined the crowd on the sidewalk and I led the way toward building 3, which was just around the cafeteria. It was easy to spot, labeled on a white square on the east corner with a large, black number ‘3’. Bella was starting to get anxious as we made our way closer, her breath becoming shallow and uneven as we approached the door and I put a comforting hand on the small of her back as I directed her through the door after a couple of our classmates.

 

I showed Bella where we could hang our coats up on the long row of hooks just inside the door, nodding hello to the blond and brunette that had come in before us before I directed her toward Mr. Mason’s desk at the front. The tall, balding teacher gave me what I missed yesterday before turning his attention on Bella, who I introduced. His eyes widened, and mouth hung slightly open as he stared at her, not unlike someone staring at an animal at a zoo. I had to clear my throat to snap him out of it, so he could sign her slip and give her this semester’s reading list before I directed her to a seat in the back while she was flushed an embarrassed red. He didn’t try to make her stand up and introduce herself, although that didn’t stop the rest of our classmates from whispering among themselves as they watched us pass, trying to crane their heads around to see her without getting into trouble as I sat her in the empty seat in front of me. She kept her eyes on her desk, silently reading through the list Mr. Mason had given her, even though I knew she’d probably read most, if not all, of those works already, since she’d always been something of a bookworm. I left her to her own thoughts and did my best to pay attention to Mr. Mason’s lesson for the day.

 

The usual nasal buzz of the bell announced the end of our lesson and, as Bella and I were packing up to go, one of our classmates, Eric, who swept his greasy, oil slick colored hair out of his thin brown eyes, came around his desk to join us. Eric was one of the more academically inclined students in the chess club and a part of the student council, so he had more of the awkward, lanky build most teenage boys had, with the added misfortune of bad ache covered skin.

 

“Hey Dawn.” He smiled at me as I got up from my seat, pulling the strap of my messenger bag over my shoulder; he gestured to Bella, “So, this is the infamous stepsister, huh? Isabella, isn’t it?”

 

“Bella.” She and I corrected together as she stood up next to me, shrugging on her own bag; anyone without a three-seat radius turned to look at us as she spoke, making Bella shift her weight uneasily. Eric looked at her in understanding, ignoring the others.

 

“What’s your next class?”

 

“She’s with Jefferson in six.” I’d memorized Bella’s schedule while we went over it with Ms. Cope, so I could know where she would need to go throughout the day and, hopefully, set Bella up with someone helpful, like Eric, to find her way around when I couldn’t. “Since it’s right by our next class, why don’t you walk with us? Oh, Bella, this is Eric, we have Trig together next. Maybe if we can later, we’ll introduce you to a couple other people in our classes.”

 

Eric practically beamed as Bella smiled gratefully at the two of us while we donned our jackets and headed out into the, now pouring, rain. We headed around the cafeteria again, toward the south buildings near the gym.

 

“So…being here must be a lot different than what you’re used to in Phoenix, huh?” Eric asked conversationally, peering at Bella out of the cover of his hood. She nodded, pulling a face as the cold rain bit at her cheeks, although it only made Eric chuckle, “Doesn’t rain much there, does it?”

 

Bella shrugged, pulling her hook lower on her head, “Only about three or four times a year.”

 

Eric’s eyes widened, a somewhat far off, dreamy look in his gaze, “Wow, what must that be like?”

 

“Sunny. Very sunny. And hot.” I pulled a face of my own since I felt just as uncomfortable with heat as Bella was with the cold. Eric looked thoughtful for a minute, as though remembering the times when I would come home with a tan before eyeing Bella out of the corner of his eye. “She doesn’t look very tan.”

 

“My mother is part albino.” Bella quipped sarcastically; I snorted, bemused, while Eric eyed her closely, obviously missing the joke. Bella sighed quietly in disappointment.

 

Eric and I walked Bella to the door of her next class and Eric wished her luck, voicing aloud that he hoped the two of them would have more classes together. I told her to come find me after this class if she couldn’t find her next one and promised we would sit together at lunch before she disappeared behind the door, casting Eric and I a vague smile over her shoulder.

 

All Eric could talk about as we headed for Trig was how pretty and nice Bella was, a topic I was quick to pick up on in many of our other classmates’ conversations throughout the rest of the morning. Especially among many of the male students. A thought that brought a smile to my lips since I knew it meant I wouldn’t have to worry too much about Bella when it came to settling in here or making friends. Hell, anytime I saw Bella that day, she was accompanied by another junior brave and/or kind enough to talk to her and show her where her classes were. It put my mind at ease knowing she at least had other people to help her when I had my hands full.

 

Especially knowing she wouldn’t have to be alone at lunch on her first day when I was kept behind by my Spanish teacher to make up a pop quiz. Even if it only took me about ten minutes to do, I still didn’t like the idea of leaving Bella alone for too long, knowing how anxious she got by herself in a place she was unfamiliar with. Thankfully for me, though, I spotted her through the windows of the cafeteria sitting at a table with a group of kids as I hurried through the rain toward the back door, although my relief was short lived when I saw the short, curly, dark-haired girl chattering her ear off beside her. Ah Christ…

 

“Jessica Stanley, interesting choice for a friend.” A soft, silvery bell like voice tickled my ear as something danced just out of the corner of my vision, drawing my attention away from the window. A warm smile graced the pixie-like features of the petite young woman walking, practically gliding, toward me, her large coal shaded eyes bright even with the evident purple/black shadows that marred her lower lids, prominent against the pale, chalky color of her skin. Her shortly croppy, spiky, ink black hair moved attractively with her movements, even weighed down from the rain as it was. I turned to face her more fully, wrapping my arms around her small frame to return her hug; her scent was as cold as the petite rock-hard body until my hands, although it was intermixed with the smell of designer fabrics and cosmetics. “But, don’t worry, she doesn’t mean more harm than to get in on the attention your stepsister is receiving from the guys, especially Mike.” She spoke sagely as she pulled back from the hug, the same smile on her lips as she looked up at me. It was then I noticed the food in her arms, which she offered to me. I quirked a brow at her and she shrugged, “We knew you’d be late since you missed the pop quiz in Spanish yesterday. Figured you’d do more with this than I did.”

 

“Thanks, Alice.” I sighed, grateful, as I took the food from her; it was usual for Alice and her siblings/husband, who were all still sitting inside the cafeteria at a table in the corner by themselves, to get food that they didn’t need to eat. Even posing as normal humans, none of them had any use for it past props. What vampire did, when all they needed was blood to survive? Not human blood, though; the Cullens, Alice’s family, and I were what the vampire world would call vegetarian vampires, as in, we only drank animal blood. A good arrangement since it made it easier for all of us to blend into the human population without the fear of being tempted by any of our classmates or neighbors every time they gave themselves a papercut.

 

Alice and I moved to a table near the entrance, sheltered by the cafeteria’s roof as I returned my attention to the table where Bella was sitting with Jessica and six other students. There were a couple of them I was happy to see her making friends with, like Angela Weber, who I knew would be a better friend for her than Jessica since she’d always seemed more genuine and caring. Someone I knew would at least be loyal and want to hang out with Bella because of her character instead of because she was popular. I inclined my invisible ears forward, toward the table in an effort to hear what they were saying through the glass wall and over the chatter of the other students; although not entirely easy, knowing both their voices like I did did help separate them from everyone else’s, so I could hear their conversation.

 

Bella’s attention had been caught by the rest of the Cullens, who had yet to move from their table, although I could tell Edward, the smallest of the three boys with his messy, bronze-tinted hair, was speaking quietly to the others while he picked his uneaten bagel apart with his long, pale fingers. Alice’s husband, Jasper, was taller, with a leanly muscled figure and neat, honey blond hair, and her other brother, Emmett, was the biggest, looking closer to a bear than a man with dark, curly brown hair. Alice’s sister, Rosalie, had the figure of a model, tall and curved in all the right places, with golden colored hair that grew in gentle waves to the middle of her back.

 

Their cover story was that they had been adopted by Dr. Carlisle, who worked with my mom at the hospital, and his wife, Esme. The only ones of the five who were believed to be blood related were Jasper and Rosalie, who looked the most similar and passed themselves off as the ‘Hale’ twins being fostered by their aunt (Esme). Just like Alice and Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were a couple, which left Edward as he only one in their family without someone.

 

As far as everyone else was concerned, the Cullens had only been native to Forks the last two years, when they ‘moved’ here from somewhere up north, in Alaska. No one else knew what their family was except mine (minus Charlie, of course) and although they were unbelievably attractive to anyone who saw them, most people tended to give the coven of vampires a wide berth. Maybe it was some kind of natural instinct, something in their mammalian brains telling them the beautiful thing in front of them had a hidden danger they needed to steer clear from, but whatever the case, the Cullen/Hale children were pretty much left alone by everyone else.

 

Except me.

 

I mean, c’mon, another supernatural family moves into town with ‘kids’ my age? No way in hell was I passing up an opportunity to make friends with people I could actually talk to without having to hide who I truly am. Even if they hadn’t quite expected it, the Cullens easily accepted me into their fold with very little resistance, probably just as relived to find someone outside their own ‘family’ who could understand them. And, with my mother working with Carlisle, it had only brought all of us closer, to the point where even my brothers hung out regularly with the vampires outside school and we’d all become closer to siblings than just friends.

 

“That’s Edward.” I could hear Jessica explaining to Bella after she’d asked which of the three boys he was. “He’s gorgeous, of course, but I wouldn’t waste your time.” Jessica’s voice was tight, irritated, remembering how she’d crushed on Edward before, only to be turned down by him freshman year. I smirked to myself at the memory. “None of the girls around here are apparently good enough for him. Except maybe your stepsister.”

 

“What?” Bella sounded surprised as she turned away from the Cullen table to face Jessica again while I groaned to myself, only half listening to Alice giggle beside me, obviously having heard the conversation, too; here we go again with that stupid rumor someone (Jessica) had started after getting turned down by the vampire. Honestly, just because Edward and I were both single and I hung out with them all the time, it didn’t mean we were dating for crying out loud! We never even did anything to make it seem like we were a couple…even if we maybe, probably, entertained the idea, just to freak some people out. If we were really being honest though, there was nothing more between us than sibling like affection.

 

“You didn’t know?” Jessica sounded caught between surprised that she wouldn’t and giddy that she could tell Bella some gossip. “It’s been a topic around school since last year! No one has ever been able to get close to the Cullens or Hales since they started here, they always kept to themselves. Your sister’s the only one who’s ever been able to change that, she’s the only one they’ve ever let into their private circle. It’s obvious she’d end up with the only one out of them who’s still single.” Jessica paused, as though thoughtful as I rolled my eyes, _(Yeah right.)_ “But, then, it really isn’t all too surprising. Dawn’s…nice,” She was fishing for a polite word to call me. Great. “I mean, sure she’s someone who could make friends easy, but I gotta tell you, Bella, your sister’s always been kinda strange.”

 

“Dawn’s strange?” Bella’s voice was still curious, although I could detect a hard edge, skeptical and a bit protective. “How so?”

 

“Well, she is always polite and friendly,” I could almost hear Jessica wrinkle her nose, as though the thought was repulsive to her, “She has a lot of friends, but I’ve never seen her as open as she seems to be with the Cullens. She’s like a different person with them and she never invites anyone else to talk to them. Even though she knows _some_ of us,” Subtle, real subtle, “Would be just _thrilled_ to be friends with them, too. I guess she just wants to keep her boy toy to herself or something.”

 

“She still labels you a selfish witch, if you’re curious.” The rest of the Cullens had come out of the cafeteria and Edward was grinning at me from where he stood on my left, watching Jessica and Bella through the windows, too, while Alice had turned her attention to her husband. I shrugged my shoulders, indifferent to the names Jessica called me in her head as I pushed up from the table and dusted crumbs off my person. It was usual for her to call me names to herself because I’d done what no else had been able to, so none of this was entirely new. If it made her feel better about herself, so be it, I wasn’t gonna get my panties in a twist just because someone hurt my feelings. Oh, boo hoo, I’m so sad that someone doesn’t like me. Whatever.

 

Edward chuckled to himself at my line of thinking, even though I hadn’t even opened my mouth to speak. He was a special kind of vampire, created with the supernatural gift to hear other people’s thoughts as easily as though they were talking to him verbally.

 

“Eh, who cares.” I sniffed, running my claws through my bangs to push them out of my face, “Now when she comes up with an original idea in that shallow puddle of a head of hers’, you let me know.”

 

Edward chuckled again, bemused, as he nodded his head, turning his attention away from the window and on me now; I looked up at where he stood a good foot above me in height, taking in his lanky frame and the similarly coal black irises that stared back at me from his purplish bruised eyes. Their irises were only this color when they went a long stretch of time without hunting and were usually varying shades of gold once their thirst had been satisfied. In spite of the rumors, Edward was one of the Cullens I was closest to, although he was more like the protective older brother I’d never had than someone I was really attracted to.

 

“Just about time for class, isn’t it?” I took out m phone for a brief glance at the time, “I’d better get inside to get Bella to show her where Biology II is.”

 

“I think she’s taken care of.” Edward was looking through the windows again as I turned to hug Alice and bump fists with Emmett before the two left with their mates; I turned to see what he meant, feeling a sense comfort to see Angela striking up a conversation with Bella, tilting my ears toward them in time to hear her offer to walk her to their next class. Good, get her the hell away from Jessica, please. Edward turned back to me, “Shall we get going, too?”

 

I nod, turning away from the window now, relieved to see my stepsister in much better hands as Edward and I made our way through the rain toward the science building.

 

“So, your sister’s day seems to be going well so far.” I glanced up at him from under my hood, nodding, “You must be relieved. Jasper could sense your anxiety practically across the school.” He chuckled as I pulled a face, my nose scrunching and eyebrows furrowing, “It was actually something of a help today, Jasper was having some problems with his control.”

 

I hum in understanding, knowing Jasper was one of the vampires in their family who was still getting used to the Cullens way of life; he still even had a hard time being around me for long periods of time, “Yeah, well…if you knew Bella as well as I do, you’d understand…she isn’t exactly happy about how things are right now…I just wanted to be sure she could settle in and find some nice people she could hang out with when I’m not around.”

 

“So, this _isn’t_ you trying to dump her off on someone else?” Edward grinned crookedly at me out of the corner of his mouth as I gave him a look, “Look at you being a responsible big sister.”

 

“We’re the same age.” I told him with a frown as we walked into Biology II and hung up our coats; Mr. Banner was the only one else in the room and I flinched at the high-pitched squeal of the erasable marker on the surface of the white board as he wrote out today’s lecture. Edward hummed as he took his seat at the black-topped lab table in the back-center aisle. “Doesn’t mean you were both born at the same time, though does it?”

 

“Of course not.” I frowned as I set my bag down at my seat to his left, “I was born in February and she was born in September.” I stopped, thinking about it for a second and then sighed as Edward grinned at me again, “Oh shut up.” I growled at him as I made my way toward Mr. Banner’s desk to get the work I’d missed; Edward’s chuckle followed me. Mr. Banner turned to talk to me and explain what needed to be done to make up what I missed as the other students were beginning to trickle in from lunch.

 

It was while I was listening to Mr. Banner go over a take home quiz I needed to complete that I felt a sudden shift in the air of the room, causing the hair on the back of my neck and arms to stand on end. It was tension so pulpable every time I inhaled I could almost taste it on the back of my tongue, a feeling that caused every nerve ending in my body to come alive, sending signals to my brain that warned of an impending danger; my muscles locked in preparation, readying to spring into action at a second’s notice as my invisible ears swiveled around so fast I would’ve been scared they’d break if they weren’t so flexible. Something fumbled behind me, feet knocking over a stack of books on the floor, followed by one of the girls giggling, as though amused. I whipped around, Mr. Banner’s voice fading into the background now.

 

The first thing I noticed was Bella standing in the aisle between my lab table and Edward’s, gripping the corner of the one in front of his as she regained her footing after stumbling over our classmate’s books. She propelled herself forward, her footsteps quick, clumsy, eyes wide, as though she was frightened, and cheeks flooded with an embarrassed red hue. She almost resembled a newborn lamb, still unsteady on its’ short, slender feet.

 

Something quietly crunched from the other end of the room, wood silently splintering, as though under an incredible amount of pressure and my ears turned toward the noise, gaze following them toward the vampire seated in the very back row. My hair and tail bristled; Edward was sitting rigidly in his seat, body half curled forward, shoulders hunched, as though he was preparing to spring with one of his hands gripped something just out of sight under the desk, the other curled almost into claws against the blacktop. His face was twisted into a terrifying expression, lips loose, as though ready to pull back over his teeth, but eyebrows pulling into a tight line over his black, bottomless eyes, which were focused intently on something in front of him, so intensely it was like there was nothing else around, the rest of the world fading into the background. Secondary. He was a predator on the hunt, his intellectual mind taking a backseat to the baser instincts hardwired into his cold, unchanging body, what made him the most dangerous creature on the face of this planet. He’d found his prey, all his senses locked in on the poor, unsuspecting creature that would become his next meal. A mountain lion coiled in ready position, muscles locked under the hard flesh in preparation to propel itself forward. The line of his gaze followed his prey toward the teacher’s desk, causing my heart to lodge somewhere in my throat.

 

Bella.

 

The wolf inside me reared its’ head over the protective bubble that congested my chest, my lips pulling back slightly over my teeth as a low, almost inaudible growl rolled up from deep in my throat, _(Edward!)_ I did my best to sound menacing in my mind, warning him against whatever it was that he was thinking. He heard me through his haze, black eyes snapping up to meet mine. I could see the confliction in his gaze, a tag of war between the inner monster and his consciousness, guilt warring with anticipation and longing. His eyebrows relaxed, although they still created a slight crease over the bridge of his nose, his lips pursing. A silent plea for help.

 

Empathetic understanding and renewed anxiety warred for dominance in my mind as I had no choice but to follow Bella back toward the tables to my seat while she had to take the only empty one remaining: the one next to Edward. He turned away from her as she came closer, his body remaining rigid in it’s posture even as he’d relaxed the hunting stance he’d held not minutes before, scooting away from her to the very edge of his seat, his face averted from her and toward me as I sat myself down on his left. Bella subtly sniffed a piece of her hair, as though wondering if she might smell bad to him, although I knew the scent of her favorite strawberry shampoo was not the problem here. She eventually turned away from him herself, her hair falling over her shoulder to create a dark curtain that hid her face.

 

I took out my stuff and purposely dropped my notebook onto the lab table, causing a fresh wave of air that swept toward Edward, who blinked slowly as a bit more clarity returned to his gaze. He looked to be in pain now, like he was being burned from the inside out by his thirst, the purplish bruises under his eyes even more pronounced than they had before, his expression flickering between emotions so quickly no one else would have been able to track it. Except me.

 

Edward had already explained about his early vampire life, how he used to hunt humans, if you could even call them that, used to rebel against his family’s way of life before it all became too much, and he’d returned to Carlisle, his creator, and Esme. I knew he still struggled with the monster inside to be a good son, to make his adopted parents proud and prove he could follow their way of life, too. That he could be better than he had been. I could tell the monster was taunting him now, encouraging him to go in for the kill, consequences be damned, even if it meant he had to kill everyone else in the room to get what he wanted.

 

I couldn’t focus on the lesson, just on the wound up vampire next to me as he kept his gaze averted from my stepsister, moving it from my face to my shoes, the floor, and back, as though looking for something to focus on that wasn’t her, his hands clenched into tight fists in his lap, pulling the muscles in his forearms taut, tendons pushing out against the skin. Bella suddenly shifted next to him, subconsciously shaking out her long hair in a way that sent out a fresh plume of her warm, strawberry scent. Edward’s eyes snapped immediately toward mine, pleading. I knew he was asking me to find a way to get that scent away from him in some way. Any way I possibly could. I opened my binder as though going to look for something, then closed it again, quickly. The gratitude on his face was instantaneous as the air from my binder played with the ends of his bronze colored bangs.

 

 _(That won’t last forever.)_ I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, raising my eyebrows to let him know I was talking directly to him in my mind. _(Edward, you need to find a way to control yourself over the next hour before you do something you’re going to regret. Hold your breath or something!)_

 

His body immediately stilled at my thoughts, the normal motions of taking in breath temporarily stoppered in favor of keeping Bella’s scent from driving Edward completely insane. Unlike humans or other supernatural creatures, vampires didn’t need oxygen to stay alive, so them filtering air through their nonfunctioning lungs was more of a controlled reflex than anything else, especially since their sense of smell was so important, just as it was to any other creature. It was an early warning of danger, a major sensory input that we relied on to fuel our instincts and sense of self-preservation, as well as what led us in the hunt.

 

I willed my thoughts away from anything that concerned hunting and blood for fear that it would make Edward snap and attack, instead reaching for anything else interesting in an effort to distract him, keep him from thinking too long of how good my stepsister smelled and how much he wanted to sink his fangs into her. All the while, I watched him closely from the corner of my eye, my own body locked in preparation to spring on him, keep him from attacking any of the others in the room with us, taking in every last detail of his physical cues to deduce in which direction he would go and how quickly he would move. Bella moved beside him, drawing his attention again as she looked through the thick wall of her hair at him; his face scrunched in hatred, eyes blazing as he met her gaze. She flinched away from him, her face flushing red again, causing Edward’s body to start to coil, ready to launch at her.

 

The sound of the bell broke the tense atmosphere and I let out a short sigh of relief under my breath as I quickly shoved everything into my bag and slammed the zipper closed before pulling the strap of my bag over my shoulder, _(Thank you, God…)_ Was the only thought that managed to cross my mind before I felt something cold and hard clamp down around my wrist and yank me, hard, out of my seat. I stumbled, but caught my footing as we reached the door, glancing back briefly to catch Bella’s shocked expression staring after us before I was pulled outside. Neither she nor any of the other students had even gotten out of their seats.

 

“Edward.” I turned to face him, but all I could see was the back of his bronze colored hair as he half dragged me toward the woods at the back of the school. It didn’t take me more than a minute to match his near jogging grit as we slipped through the first trees into the cover of the forest and moved to a small clearing far enough in that we wouldn’t be spotted from a distance. He did a quick scan of the area to make sure we were entirely alone before dropping my arm and turning to face me, offering one of the two jackets he had clutched in his free hand. I took mine from him and hung it loosely over my shoulders.

 

“Do you still have that thermos your mother packs you?” His voice was low, almost a growl as I looked up. I nodded, and he held out a hand toward me, his expression pleading once more, “May I?” I smiled in understanding and motioned to Edward to come sit with me on a flat rock nestled into a shallow crevice sheltered by the roots of a tree and pulled my bag around to rest against my stomach as I dug through it. My mother had sewn a secret compartment into my messenger bag where I kept a small thermos of blood on me at all times in case of emergency. I dug it out and handed it over to Edward, who took it gratefully as I sat on the rock next to him, sighing. At least this last period I had independent study, so I didn’t have to worry about being late or missing another day of a class.

 

Edward and I sat in silence as he slowly drank the contents of the thermos; it wouldn’t be much, just about two cups of warm deer’s blood, my favorite, but I hoped it at least helped clear his head as effectively as the cold, wet air relaxed me. The rain had slowed back into a light drizzle and brought with it an icy wind from the south that smelled distantly of alpine trees. I pulled my jacket in close to conserve warm, waiting. When he was done, Edward carefully replaced the top and returned my thermos; I traded him a handful of napkins from my bag to wipe his lips and chin while I returned the thermos to my bag and retrieved a water bottle to rinse his mouth out.

 

“What happened in there?” I looked at him as he rolled the water around inside his mouth, careful to remove all traces of the blood from his teeth; he turned his head away to spit the water in one fluid arch onto a nearby, mossy rock. “I mean, I know you and the others are thirsty, Edward, but I’ve never seen you act the way you did when you smelled Bella.”

 

Edward handed back my water bottle, avoiding my eyes, as though ashamed, “I…I don’t really know…all I know is as soon as her scent hit me, it was like…like I crashed into a wall or something. Her smell’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my life…and it almost ruined me….” He dropped his head, running his claws through his already tousled hair. “God, it was like my own personal demon was sent to torture me in this non-life of mine…and I almost ruined everything Carlisle and Esme tried so hard to build for us.

 

My heart clenched sadly for him, knowing how hard it was for him still, even after so long as I put a reassuring hand on his back, “Yeah, but you didn’t…you managed to pull through it. That’s got to count for something, doesn’t it?”

 

“I only got through all that because you were there to ground me…” Edward sighed to his feet, “I wouldn’t have been able to control myself if you hadn’t helped with getting her scent away or kept me sane when I was about to lose it…”

 

“You’re giving me a little too much credit, Edward.” I furrowed my brows, leaning over a bit in an effort to see his face around his arm, “Even if I helped, the discipline it took to keep from attacking was all you. You do have some sense of control when it comes to bloodlust.”

 

He sighed again and slowly sat up, shaking his head sadly, “Control that barely hung by a thread…” he looked at me; the black of his eyes had lightened, showing hints of dark onyx in his iris, “It took everything in me not to attack the class and even then, I was thinking of ways to get into your house and kill your stepsister. What happens the next time you’re not there to stop me? This was too close a call, Dawn.”

 

I rubbed his back in slow, soothing circles, pressing my lips in thought, “Well…there’s always a solution in some way, shape, or form, we just have to find it. Just like mama, Carlisle, and Esme always say, right?” The sadness deepened in his expression at the thought of his adopted parts and I knew he was worrying about how he could have possibly considered disappointing them by entertaining the idea of killing an innocent. I rubbed his arm soothingly with my free hand, “We will figure out another solution to this, Edward, we just have to put our heads together to figure it out, okay? Maybe we can ask Alice for some advice about it, too.”

 

Edward stiffened at the thought and pressed his lips as shame crossed his features once more. He didn’t like the idea of anyone else knowing about his dark thoughts, about the things he’d ben considering over the last hour.

 

“She’s already got enough to worry about with keeping an eye on Jasper…” he murmured, his voice quiet, as though he was off in his own little world…or else distracted reading his adopted sister’s thoughts. “It’d be better if I didn’t tempt fate, anyway…I should just try to keep as far away from Bella Swan as I can. Keep away from her and her delicious scent.”

 

“Switch classes?” I guessed, skeptical of the idea; even if he did manage to switch into a different science class, I doubted Edward would be able to avoid Bella forever. They would run into one another eventually, especially with how small our school was. “I dunno, Edward…I’m pretty sure all the higher-level science classes are filled up...and I don’t think they’d let you drop a course since you’d need the credits to graduate.”

 

“It’s something, though.” Edward was suddenly on his feet, a determined look in his eye. “And I’ve got to at least try.” He started back in the direction we’d come, his steps just as determined as they had been when he’d dragged me out here, although they were more measured, controlled.

 

“Where are you going?” I got up from the rock, too, and hurried after him back toward the school. “To talk to Ms. Cope, it’s just about the end of the day, she shouldn’t be too busy.” I frowned and reached into my pocket to take out my phone to check the time; it was about five minutes before the final bell. “Damn, I’d better go catch up with Bella, I haven’t been able to talk to her since this morning.” I returned my phone to my pocket, looking up at Edward, “I’d come help you with Ms. Cope, but I gotta go. Good luck!”

 

Edward grinned at me, flashing his perfect, straight teeth; boy was I glad he’d rinsed them or that would have looked terrifying to anyone who didn’t know what he really was, “I can handle Ms. Cope, Dawn.”

 

“Somehow, I don’t doubt it.” I rolled my eyes a bit, but smiled playfully at him, shoving his shoulder, “Don’t be too rough on her, Simba.” He chuckled and shooed me toward the gym before he turned and walked briskly in the direction of the front office. I got there as the bell rang and it wasn’t a minute before Bella came out; obviously Coach Clapp had given her a break on her first day and hadn’t made her dress down for class. I smiled at her sheepishly as she spotted me waiting just outside the door.

 

“Hey Bells,” We fell in step with each other as we headed across the campus. “The rest of your day go okay?”

 

She nodded faintly, “Yeah, I met a couple of new people who showed me around…” She told me about Jessica and Angela; all the teachers she seemed to like, aside from the Trig teacher, Mr. Varner, who had been the only one to make her stand in front of the class to introduce herself. I snort in understanding.

 

“Yeah, Mr. Varner’s always been one of those guys…kinda egotistical, too.” I scratch my nose, remembering how he’d often accuse students of cheating if they proved to understand his subject better than he did. “But, I’m glad to know you’re making friends, Bells, just be careful of Jessica.” She sent me a quizzical look, “Take it from me, sis, she might seem friendly to you now, but she isn’t all that loyal to her ‘friends’.” I did air quotes. “Just keep that in mind if you’re thinking of hanging with her.”

 

Bella hummed, as though mulling over my words, briefly, “I dunno…she seemed nice and she told me somethings that seemed true enough…

 

“Oh yeah, like what?”

 

“Well…like some stuff she told me about that family who moved here a couple years ago, the Cullens.” She looked at me out of the corner of her eye, “You’re not really dating Edward, are you? He seemed like such a jerk in Bio today…”

 

I bark out a laugh and shake my head, partially trying to ease some of her worry over the situation, even though I know she had every right to be afraid, “C’mon Bells, you should know by now not to trust everything you hear.” I grinned easily at her from the corner of my mouth, “It is not like that between Edward and I, trust me. We’re just friends. Just like I am with the rest of his family.”

 

I suddenly took notice of the direction we were heading as we moved away from the parking lot and toward, my heart sped up anxiously, the front office.

 

“You forget something, Bells?” I looked at my stepsister, trying to keep my expression light, easy; she frowned at me, as though sensing something was off, “No…I need to turn this in, remember?” She held out the slip of paper Ms. Cope had given her this morning to have each of her teachers sign. I mentally smacked myself.

 

“Ah, right, I almost forgot.” I stuck my tongue between my teeth, chuckling as I rubbed my neck, “Well, hey, why don’t I take that for you and you can just head for the car?” I hurriedly stepped in her path to make her stop and held out my hand for the paper and took out my keys to trade her for them. Bella looked at me in surprise, pulling her eyebrows together as she frowned, as though wondering why I was offering this.

 

“Uh, no…” Bella said slowly, eyeing me critically, “I can handle it, thanks. But if you want to head for the car, go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute.” She stepped around me and continued toward the office while I inwardly cursed that damned stubborn streak that ran thick through our family like blood. If nothing else, that was one trait our blended family had in common. Great…

 

I barely had time to pray that Edward had already cleared out of the office as I caught up with Bella again while she went inside, catching the door behind her as she froze at the sight of the lanky, bronze colored figure leaning in over the counter toward Ms. Cope. He was arguing with her, his voice low, attractive, in order to sway her to see what he was trying to tell her without too much trouble. He was putting out feelers for an open position in one of the higher-grade science classes, a corner of his cheek pulling back as he gave her his best charmer smile as she stared at him with wide, enamored eyed.

 

I reached out for Bella, who had moved over to stand against the wall, shifting myself instinctively between her and Edward, contemplating dragging her out of here kicking and screaming if I absolutely had to; in all honesty, I didn’t think she would be capable of either of those right now, though, as her eyes were transfixed on Edward while Ms. Cope was stuttering out a quick reply to his inquires. Caught up in his spell, however brief, just like everyone else. I would’ve laughed if the situation wasn’t as serious as it was at this very second. Worry about getting Bella out of the way of danger first, then –

 

That was when it happened, the thing that shattered any hope I had of getting my stepsister out of here without being noticed; I almost had my hand around her upper arm, ready to drag her out when the door beside us flew open, bringing with it a strong gust of wind that swept the room. Bits of our hair swirled around our heads, our scents intermixing and spreading throughout the small, hot space as the papers that decorated the walls danced chaotically in the wind. One of the lower classman, Samantha Wells, stepped through the open door, deposited a signed tardy slip into the nearest wire basket and hurried back out again to catch her bus before she missed it. My eyes immediately shot to the figure that had stiffened at the counter, the hair on the back of my neck prickling with the same tension I’d felt back in the classroom and I turned fully to face Edward, shielding Bella behind me as he moved slowly around to face us, as though fighting his own body for control. His dark, burning eyes met mine as I took a relaxed fighting stance, raising my chin silently as a way of telling him ‘no.’

 

Everything stood still for a short stretch of time then as Edward seized me up with a ferocious look in his eyes, internally struggling for a second as he, once again, warred against the monster fighting to claim what it wanted, which it knew I was shielding with my body. His gaze fell to my shoulder, where I could feel Bella hovering, not quite touching, but close enough I could feel her body heat. The hand perched above the counter between him and Ms. Cope twitched, as though he was ready to reach over and rip her head off; the wolf reared its’ head again and my throat vibrated with a low, warning growl as my lips pressed back into my teeth. His eyes shot back to mine and in that instant, I knew he’d decided on his choice.

 

Just as he’d done in the science building, Edward cut off his breathing and, straightening himself as best he can, he turned back to face Ms. Cope again. Her eyes widened at the evident change that had overcome him and she shrank away at the fiery anger in his gaze. He cleared his throat, using decades worth of discipline to keep his voice as it had been before, even and as smooth as silk, although his words were rushed, used with what little air he still had trapped in his lungs.

 

“Never mind, then.” He gave the best smile he could manage, “I can see that it’s impossible. Thank you, so much, for your help, Ms. Cope.”

 

Edward spun on his heel, meeting my gaze for a split second before he practically launched himself through the door, skirting around both Bella and I in an attempt to avoid close contact. I glanced back at Bella, who was staring after him with an expression akin to someone who’d just been scared out of their mind. I turned partially to face her, putting a reassuring hand on Bella’s shoulder; she was shaking, and she looked as white as a ghost.

 

“Why don’t you give Ms. Cope the signed slip and I’ll get the car?” I whispered, rubbing her back in small, soothing circles. Bella didn’t even look at me, only managed a weak nod in agreement as she shuffled past toward Ms. Cope’s desk. I sighed to myself and headed back outside, pausing once I’d reached the sidewalk to watch the familiar silver Volvo turn out of the parking lot doing forty and disappear around a corner near seventy.

 

Reaching up to scratch the base of one of my ears, I pursed my lips quietly in thought before shaking my head and turning toward the nearly empty lot the Cullens had left behind. Only my Camry and a few other cars were left as I slid into the driver’s seat and turned the key. I blasted the heat for Bella, who I could see already making her way across the pavement toward me, her arms wrapped tight around her, as though she was trying to reassure herself that everything was alright. She was blinking quickly, whether to fight back tears or against the cold, icy wind, I couldn’t quite tell yet, although it caused a deep ache in my chest all the same as I gripped my steering wheel tight in both hands.

 

_(Lords above, what have we got ourselves into now, Bells…?)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Being of Japanese descent, Dawn, her mother, and brothers are fluent in Japanese and often speak it when upset or they’ll use phrases in their native language, especially with their charms. This is the translation of what Dawn said:  
> (*) Wolf in the den


	2. Singer

The drive back home was spent in relative silence; Bella was still very shaken up by her run-in with Edward in the front office, for which I couldn’t blame her. What prey wouldn’t be terrified after such a close encounter with a predator? What animal wouldn’t be terrified at that moment when facing the possibility of death or even relieved to know they’d been able to survive to live another day? Even if Bella didn’t know it herself, she was still in that in between stage between terrified of the experience and relieved that she’d survived it. I would just have to give it some time, let things settle down.

 

No one else was home when we got back, so Bella and I headed upstairs to the attic, where Bella sequestered herself in her room; I let her go, hoping that she would come out later and, at least, talk to me about how she was feeling, even if I wasn’t completely confident she would. No matter how much I might wish for it, knowing how my stepsister operated didn’t give me much hope that she would open up to me. Hell, if she wouldn’t turn to me when she needed someone after giving up her whole life for her mother, why would she turn to me for something like this, even when I was _standing right next to her when it happened!?_

 

Sighing deeply and shaking my head, I crossed the attic to my room and climbed the winding metal staircase, deciding to just push that to the back of my mind for the time being and focus on my next attainable task. After our encounter in the front office, I had no doubt that Edward would be beating himself up for almost losing control like he did. Even if I couldn’t go over to the Cullen house now since I had to keep an eye on Bella, I didn’t want to leave him to stew on this too long. Edward was my friend and I wanted the best for him, I wanted to be there to help him have a good life, like he deserved, but Bella was also my sister and I had to look out for my family, too. Being a part of the supernatural world could be dangerous and I didn’t want to see her hurt, especially when she had absolutely no idea what was going on. If things were going to be like they were today, we needed to figure out a way for all of us to coexist. Things hadn’t gone as Edward had hoped when he’d tried to get out of our Biology II class, something I knew had been unlikely in the first place, but still disheartening all the same. Well, if he couldn’t switch classes, maybe I could talk to Mr. Banner about maybe switching seats around, musical chairs style. Edward could move over into Bella’s seat, I could take his and she could take mine. At least then there would be enough distance between the two of them her scent wouldn’t drive him quite as insane and I could be the buffer between them just in case her scent did get to him and he lost control.

****

_(Yeah, I’m sure Mr. Banner would go for that so late in the semester, when we’ve all been in the same seats since day one.)_ I sighed at the negative voice that nagged at the back of my mind, _(I’m quite sure he would be more than willing to change things around just because you thought it would be a nice chance of pace when, in reality, you’re trying to keep him and the rest of your classmates safe. But wait, you can’t tell him that because he doesn’t know he’s teaching a hundred-and-four-year-old vampire and a hybrid!)_

 

“I’ll figure out something…” I muttered under my breath as I pulled my cell phone from my pocket, dropping my messenger bag into the desk chair, “Right now, I just need to make sure Edward’s okay…hopefully he’ll answer.” Hitting call on Edward’s contact, I pressed the speaker to my fake ear, pacing the length of my room as I listen to the phone ring, my lips pressing together as I was eventually sent to voicemail. I hung up and tried twice more to get through, but, like the first time, the phone rang straight through to voicemail and I sighed as the high-pitched _beep_ followed Edward’s smooth, velvety voice telling us to leave a message, so he could get back at his earliest convenience.

 

“Hey, Edward, I know you’re probably busy stewing in your own guilt over what happened at school, or what technically _didn’t_ happen, whatever perspective you want to look at it from, but, could you please, _puh-lease_ call me back when you can. I dunno what happened today, but I want you to know, I’m not mad, yeah, I wanted to protect Bella, but I’m not mad at you. I just want to make sure you’re okay…I hope I hear from you soon.” I hung up the phone, frowning, my ears pressed down against the top of my head sadly. Hopefully he wouldn’t do anything rash in the heat of the moment and we would be able to figure this out together. Maybe I should call my mother and ask her advice…even if Edward didn’t like it, it was better we asked our parents for help then let the situation get out of hand.

 

Before I could switch back to my contact list, the screen on my phone went white with an incoming call, flashing my mother’s number. I accepted the call and pressed the speaker to my ear once more.

 

“Hey sweetheart,” I could hear the concern in my mother’s soft, unsure voice and mentally pictured the frown that marred her features, “I just wanted to see if things are okay with you and Bella…” I pinched my eyebrows, my frown deepening.

 

“Yeah, we’re…okay.” I paused, wondering if she’d just called to see how Bella’s first day had gone, although my gut was telling me she was calling for a very different reason, “Why, is something wrong?”

 

“Hang on, Dawn.” I could hear voices in the background talking to my mother on the other end; she answered them, her voice further away than before as clothing rustled and brushed against the speaker, meaning she probably had her phone pressed against her shoulder while she spoke to whoever else was with her. There was the sound of a door closing somewhere nearby, then a familiar, soothing voice that I could recognize anywhere. “Honey, is it all right if I put you on speaker? I have Carlisle here with me.”

 

“Go ahead, mama.” I sank down on the hope chest at the end of my bed, running my claws through my bangs to push them back out of my face. I listened as my mother’s voice grew distant while she turned on the speaker, making her and Carlisle’s voice closer than before, more easily heard. “Hey Carlisle.”

 

“Hello, Dawn.” I could picture the kindly vampire’s face as the phone was set down on something hard, sturdy, more than likely a table. “I hope we’re not interrupting you when you’re busy…”

 

“No, you’re fine, I’m not busy, I haven’t even started my homework yet.” I smiled sheepishly, even though I usually took a short break when I got home before I started on my assignments; mama had read somewhere that letting a child’s brain rest for at least an hour after school let out helped them concentrate better and retain more information when they did their homework. It’d worked so far for my brothers and I, the lowest average of the 3 of us being in the B range. “But, uh, is something going on? You guys don’t usually do a call in the middle of work, let alone together unless it’s important.”

 

There was a brief silence and I could picture the two of them exchanging a look now as they tried to decide how best to broach this topic. I waited patiently for them to speak, knowing this had to be serious.

 

“We just got a visit from Edward here.” Mama finally spoke after a minute; my ears immediately perked, and I sat up straighter, my full attention on what she was saying, “He seemed…on edge. Like something was bothering him, something he couldn’t quite talk about. He said he needed to leave before he hurt someone because they smelled…”

 

“Better than the rest.” Carlisle sighed slowly, the sadness creeping into his tone making it softer than before, although I could still hear it. “He was upset and worried about what he would do if he stayed here and decided he needed to leave…” My heart sank sadly into the pit of my stomach at these words. “He just seemed so ashamed of himself…but I didn’t want to force him to stay if he didn’t wish to be here and gave him my car…” He sighed once more, a sigh full of remorse and regret, “I just wonder if that was the right thing to do…”

 

I pictured my mother putting a reassuring hand on Carlisle’s arm, squeezing it softly in comfort, like she was warrant to do when someone was upset, “Sometimes the best we can do is encourage our kids to do what they think is best in any kind of situation, Carlisle…”

 

Carlisle would smile faintly back at her, inclining his head gratefully, even though his gaze would still be conflicted, pained. He took a deep breath before speaking again, “We wanted to call to see if you could fill us in on what happened…just so we could know the whole story.”

 

I heaved my own sigh, scratching the base of one of my real ears as I gathered my thoughts; I told them about how it started in our Biology class, when Edward had first smelled Bella up until what had happened in the front office. Both adults were silent, even as I finished recounting the events of our day.

 

“Edward has a lot more control than he really gives himself credit for…” Mama murmured, and Carlisle hummed his agreement.

 

“He does, but that’s still a big temptation for him to overcome…” I could hear Carlisle’s soft footsteps moving against polished tiles, pacing. Nails clicked against wood, like someone drumming their fingers. “Yes, it is…it would be difficult for any vampire to resist their singer as effectively as Edward did today…like I said, he has a fair amount of control and it probably didn’t hurt that Dawn was there to help keep him in line when he felt his grip on himself slipping.”

 

Singers were what certain humans with blood that greatly appealed to a vampire were called in the supernatural world; their blood was supposed to smell so good, it was nearly irresistible to their vampire, said to ‘sing’ in a way. My lips pressed together at the thought of how much that must have truly tortured Edward to have to resist Bella’s blood and felt a stab of guilt that I hadn’t realized this sooner. Maybe then I could have done more to help him get through their interactions without putting him through so much pain. I would have to find a way to apologize to him the next time I saw him. Which was, hopefully, soon.

 

“Did Edward tell you where he was doing?” I asked quietly, my heart sitting heavily in my chest. Carlisle’s pacing continued, but mama had stopped drumming her fingers, obviously watching him.

 

“He didn’t say, but if he’s anywhere, he’s more than likely with our cousins in Denali.” He murmured in thought; although I hadn’t directly met them, I knew the coven of vampires in Denali, Alaska shared the Cullens value of human life and were vegetarians as well. Both covens were close and loyal to one another, like family, and often called each other cousins. No surprise Edward would go seek refuge with them to get away from Bella. My ears pressed down against my head sadly, feeling the guilt squeeze at my heart.

 

“Did he say if he would come back?” I whispered, even though I had the distinct feeling I already knew the answer.

 

“No…” Carlisle answered solemnly. Mama sighed, “With how bad things were, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t…I’m sorry, Carlisle.”

 

“It isn’t anyone’s fault.” Carlisle told her softly as his pacing stopped, “No one could have known this would happen, not even Alice.” He paused in thought then sighed, “Things are going to be difficult without Edward being here…but we’re going to have to try and go about things normally. If he does come back, we’ll have to find out a way to help him be around Bella.”

 

“Well, he already tried to switch classes, but Ms. Cope wouldn’t let him, all the other science classes are filled…” I pursed my lips, leaning back so I laid partially on my bed. “And they won’t let him drop the class, he needs the credits to be able to graduate.”

 

“Again?” Mama’s voice was teasing, and I heard Carlisle chuckle faintly, amused. “Hm, yes, if we wish to keep up appearances. Well…if Edward were to come back and decided to stay…hm…maybe you could talk to Mr. Banner about changing seats.” He suggested; I hummed to myself, “I thought of that…I dunno how much Mr. Banner would go for it…but I can see if Edward comes back. Maybe some space between him and Bella will help…”

 

“Hopefully.” Mama sighed, “For now, we’re just going to have to give the boy space to sort himself out and see if he’ll come back on his own.”

 

“Yes…it would only be asking for trouble to force this…” Carlisle agreed; even if Edward wasn’t his biological son, Carlisle had ‘created’ him and saw him as his, so he always tried to respect his wishes and choices, just as he would the rest of his family and mine. “Thank you, Dawn, for your help in this. For helping with Edward when we can’t.”

 

I shrugged my shoulders, even knowing he couldn’t see it, “It’s what family does, isn’t it? We’re all in the same boat, so we have to stick together during tough times.” I sat up, listening to Carlisle chuckled faintly while mama hummed, an almost undetectable edge of pride in her voice. “I should let you guys get back to work and get started on my homework. I want to try to get a jump on the stuff I missed yesterday.”

 

“We should probably be getting back to our patients as well, Elizabeth.” Carlisle spoke up, clearing his throat a bit as he recollected himself.

 

“Yes, the others are probably looking for us about now.” Mama agreed, and I could hear her picking her cell phone up from wherever she’d set it down. “All right sweetheart, we’ll let you go to do your homework. I should be home before Charlie to start dinner, all right? I’ll be making homemade mac and cheese.”

 

My stomach grumbled loudly at the thought; homemade mac and cheese was a staple in our house, one of the recipes my mother had learned from her parents growing up. It was always so good to eat during the dead of winter, what with the way it warmed you up from the inside. It made me warm inside just thinking about it.

 

“That sounds awesome, mama.” I smiled into the phone as I got to my feet, listening to her laugh; she had obviously heard my stomach through the phone. Or just sensed it since she was my mother and she knew it was one of my favorite meals. “I’ll talk to you when you get home. Oh, Carlisle, I may stop over tomorrow, check in with everyone, okay?”

 

I could hear the soft, grateful smile in the vampire’s voice as he spoke, “Of course, Dawn, we would love that. I’m sure Esme would enjoy having you over for a couple of hours after all…this.” He sighed deeply, obviously worried about how his wife was taking their son’s departure. Edward had been the first of their adopted children, after all.

 

I smiled sadly, wishing I could go to the Cullen house now to comfort Esme and the others, knowing they probably needed it. But, I had to get these assignments done so I wouldn’t fall any further behind in my classes and I knew even if I did intend to go for just a few minutes, I would likely be there for hours, especially if I got caught up in a conversation with Esme or Alice insisted on one of her makeovers. The smallest of the Cullen coven was big into fashion and enjoyed picking out high end clothes for her family/friends. I enjoyed a comfortable, casual style and usually leaned more toward darker shades of blue or purple, wearing mostly t-shirts, sweaters, and jeans. Alice was insistent I try wearing lighter colors, like green and light blue, to emphasize my features, like my eyes, and often tried to get me to wear more skirts and dresses than I usually did. More than likely she would be even more insistent on it to help get her mind off her missing brother and I really didn’t want to get caught in the crosshairs just now.

 

“I’ll be sure to try and cheer her up.” I promised, “I’ll see you later, Carlisle and you, mama, when you get home. I love you.”

 

“I love you, too, sweetie.” Mama made a kissy noise over the phone before we both hung up and I ran my claws through my bangs to push them back once more, sighing to myself as I did so. Well…that wasn’t quite what I’d expected would have happened, but I couldn’t say I was entirely surprised by it either. Even if he didn’t want to disappoint Carlisle, Edward would have gone to his adopted father for any crisis, whether to ask for help or advice. Anything Carlisle would have been worried about if he felt like Edward had left anything out would have been brought back to me to fill in the gaps. That was what happened in big families like ours. We stuck together when we needed to, through the toughest situations and problems.

 

This one would be no different.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Bella still seemed tired when I saw her the following morning; the wind had still been too loud to allow her to get sufficient enough sleep last night and I, again, asked if she wanted to stay home to try and catch up. She refused, saying she didn’t want to miss too much school and I reluctantly conceded, although I was still determined to keep a close eye on her to be sure she would really be all right, like she said. When we left together, we did so in our own vehicles, which seemed to put Bella somewhat at ease, like I knew it would. Like other teenagers, she liked having the independence her own car allowed.

 

Even when her car was as ancient and loud as hers’ was. It was a reliable car, I knew, Jacob had done an excellent job of restoring it and it started quickly, but when it did, it let out a near earsplitting roar that immediately had my invisible ears pressing down against the top of my head to soften the noise.

 

 _(Well…as old as it is, it was bound to be flawed somehow…)_ I thought to myself as I looked out my window up at the cab, listening to the engine idle loudly in place, _(Still doesn’t mean I’m going to be riding in that death trap again anytime soon…the five minutes I rode in it with Jacob, I almost went deaf!)_

 

Bella waited for me to back out of my parking space and move out of the way before she followed me down our private driveway to the road. We arrived early, before most of the other students, so we were able to park together in a corner of the lot; I didn’t get much of a chance to check in with the Cullens before school today as I was still preoccupied with making sure Bella would be able to navigate the school without getting lost, although I didn’t have to hover long since the friends she’d made the day before soon started to meet up with her. Mike Newton, who had been at Bella’s lunch table yesterday, met up with her in English and even offered to walk her to second period, much to Eric’s irritation. I had to stop myself from laughing as I watched this all go on, finding it amusing how popular Bella had become in her first couple of days and yet relieved at the same time. Even if I didn’t like some of the people she hung out with, like Jessica, I was glad to know she’d been able to make friends here. I wouldn’t have to worry about her being all by herself when I wasn’t around.

 

It gave me enough comfort that I could focus on other pressing issues without having to focus on her all the time, like checking in with Alice and the rest of the Cullens. His absence was definitely felt when I met up with the four vampires for lunch, even as they kept up their usual façade around our human classmates. They were all worried about him, worried about if he would ever come back, especially Alice, who was rather distracted today. Well, even more than usual.

 

Like Edward, Alice was a gifted vampire, although she could see the future instead of reading minds; her talent was useful, yes, but did have flaws in it, too, since the visions she had could change depending on a person’s choices and she had blind spots, mostly when it came to seeing my, my mother, or brothers’ futures, something we attributed to us being of different species than she was or had been. Usually Alice was keeping an eye on Jasper’s future to keep an eye on her husband when they were around humans, but I could tell today that wasn’t what she was seeing now…more than likely she was currently focusing on when and if Edward would return and the resulting events that went along with it. I tried not to distract her from her visions but did ask the others if I would be able to stop by the house after school to check in with Esme. Emmett told me she would be happy and grateful for a visit after Edward’s departure and I promised I would head right over to see her once I got out of Biology. Emmett smiled brightly at me across the table as Jasper’s expression was a mix of grateful, yet anxious, too, since I would, more than likely, still be at the house by the time school officially ended. Jasper didn’t like to tempt fate and usually avoided being around me for long, even when the rest of his family was nearby. It was frustrating, to say the least, but understandable and I did my best to respect Jasper’s wishes to keep distance between the two of us.

 

At the end of lunch, after telling the four vampires I would catch up with them at their house, I went to join Bella and Mike as they headed for the science building. Mike was beginning to remind me a bit of a golden retriever, what with the way he walked so dutifully by Bella’s side like a loyal canine companion; I had to stifle a laugh at the mental image of him with a tail of his own, wagging excitedly back and forth as he conversed happily with Bella. She would smile and participate in the conversation diplomatically, more out of politeness than really being invested in the beach trip he wanted to put together sometime in the coming weeks, even though it was still far too cold for it. He invited me to join and I said I would if I knew when it was going to be a couple of weeks in advance since I worked on the weekends part-time at an animal shelter in town. I liked to give my boss a heads’ up if I couldn’t work at any time, so he could call one of the others to cover my shift.

 

Bella seemed a bit more relaxed as we reached the classroom, more of the tension leaving her shoulders when she noticed Edward was not here either, although a troubled look remained tucked away in the depths of her eyes. After what she’d experienced yesterday, it wasn’t surprising she’d be worried about this, fretting over if Edward’s absence was due to something she’d unintentionally done during their brief interactions. But, even now she would likely be pushing her concerns aside, trying to tell herself it was ridiculous to think like that when she and Edward were still practically strangers. I internally sighed at these thoughts, wishing more than anything I could agree with my stepsister, but knowing I wouldn’t be able to dismiss the obvious truth, no matter how much I wanted to.

 

Well…better she was saved from the truth and safe than exposed to it and in danger, right…? Well…at least until we were better prepared to hep her with her transition into the supernatural world…which we were still working on, unfortunately…

 

 _(By Buddah, this shouldn’t be as difficult as it is…)_ I sighed as I left Bio with Bella, walking with her and Mike toward the gym for their final class on her request; apparently Mike’s overtly friendliness was beginning to get to her and she didn’t want to be alone with him right now. More than likely she was trying to work up the courage to tell him she wasn’t interested, a smart move in of itself considering the fact that Jessica had a (super obvious) crush on him. Obviously, she hadn’t ever really gotten over him after their brief relationship back in sophomore year, even though she was the one who originally ended it. Honestly, sometimes I just didn’t understand people like that…either like someone or don’t, don’t do that back and forth shit, we weren’t a part of some stupid TV drama. Sometimes it was just better for everyone to let a relationship like that die, it would make both parties better in the long run, so they can actually have a life.

 

 _(We are talking about teenagers in high school here, though._ ) I reminded myself, waving to Bella as she headed into the gym, telling her I would see her at home. _(And everyone knows just how much us teenagers just **love** freaking drama….wait…) _ I had to pause for a second, suddenly confused, “What was I thinking about before…? Bah, it’ll come back to me….” I pulled my hood tighter around my head and slushed through the rain toward the parking lot, _(Did I really just say bah? Either I’m turning into my grandfather when he’s frustrated, or we’ve got some sheep blood somewhere in the family line we don’t know about…mama will probably get a kick out of that.)_

 

Smiling faintly to myself at the thought, I climbed into my Camry and started her up; it was about a fifteen minute drive to the Cullen house from the school as I took highway 101 north, out of the more residential areas and into the deep woods. Like our house, the Cullens liked their privacy and lived together amid acres of woodland on their own private property. The road you have to take to reach the house was an unpaved path, hidden almost completely by the thick ferns and bushes that grew on either side as it wound between the ancient trees for a couple of miles. I followed the familiar road around the mossy, green trunks, what little rain that managed to slip past the thick canopy overhead tapping loudly against the roof of my car or splashing onto the windshield. As I drew closer, the forest began to thin until I broke free of the trees and drove into the small meadow in which the house had been built, following the drive around to park out front.

 

As I climbed out of the car, I glanced up at the house, admiring it, even though I’d seen it enough times over the last couple of years to know it inside and out, just as I did my own. It was a beautiful, three-story home, large, rectangular in shape, and very well-proportioned, decorated in a faded coat of white paint. Just by looking at it, you could tell it was an older structure, no less than a hundred years; Esme had put her heart and soul into restoring this beautiful place and I could say, it definitely showed.

 

Smiling to myself at the thought, I leapt the steps to the porch, which wrapped completely around the front of the house, and approached the door. I didn’t even have to think about raising a hand to knock as it swung open for me immediately and I was greeted with the sight of the compassionate smile of the Cullen matriarch, her bright black eyes shining warmly out at me from her heart-shaped face, framed by waves of soft caramel-colored hair. She would have heard me coming just pulling off the highway onto her road.

 

“Dawn.” She greeted warmly, pulling me into a tight embrace.

 

“Hey Esme.” I squeezed her tightly, feeling that familiar sense of warmth she let off despite her usually cold skin. Since the Cullens had moved to Forks, Esme had become something of a second mother to me and always treated my brothers and I like her children whenever we came over. Mama never really minded but was grateful to have another maternal supernatural creature nearby she could depend on to help look after us when she couldn’t. It was one reason why she and Esme had become such close friends.

 

“Come inside, dear, you must be freezing.” Esme smiled at me as we separated, ushering me inside and closing the door behind us. I smiled gratefully, pulling my shoes off and hanging my jacket up at the door as she bustled toward the kitchen on our right, “Do you want anything, Dawn? I could make something.”

 

I chuckled to myself, knowing my or my family’s visits here were the only time Esme was able to use it since she and her family did not eat regular food. She still always kept the kitchen well stocked since we just about lived here half the time anyway.

 

“Could I just have some tea, please? I’m not really hungry and I want to save my appetite for dinner.” I smiled gratefully after her as she nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, “My stepsister is going to be using the kitchen tonight.”

 

“How is she acclimating to Forks?” Esme called back as I could hear her turn on the faucet while I looked around the familiar room; Esme had removed most of the internal walls on this floor to create one large, spacious room. The south facing wall at the back of the house had been turned into a wall of windows looking out onto the lawn, which stretched away under the protective shade of the six cedars that surrounded the house to the bank of the Calawah river. On the west side of the room was a sweeping central staircase leading to the upper floors, while there was a raised platform on the opposite side, housing a grand piano and the door leading into the kitchen/dining room. The entire inside of the house, from the high-beamed ceilings to the thick carpets on the floor were varying shades of white.

 

“Just about as well as you’d expect…” I called back, crossing the open floor to step up onto the platform and run a delicate hand over the body of the polished black piano. I’d always admired instruments like this and loved to listen whenever Edward played. “She’s never really liked it here…”

 

“She’s the one that detests Forks, right?” The kettle had barely begun to whistle when I heard the stovetop being shut off; I hum to myself, sitting at the piano bench and mindlessly pressing several of the keys. The wires inside each let out a single note in reply, loud in the large, quiet room. “Yeah, she is….”

 

“I miss him, too.” I looked up at Esme as she appeared, holding a teacup on a saucer in her hand as she smiled sadly at me. I smiled faintly in return, sheepish, since I knew this was Edward’s piano and I didn’t want to be disrespectful of it while he was gone. I got up from the bench and stepped down from the platform to rejoin Esme, gratefully taking the tea from her and following her to the living room on the other side of the sweeping staircase. We sat across from each other in a couple of chairs in front of the fireplace. “Carlisle told me what happened yesterday.”

 

I took a slow sip of my tea, enjoying the taste of the chamomile as it flooded my tongue and slipped down my throat, “Yeah, it was…crazy. I wish I’d known that would have happened and done something to help him…”

 

Esme cocked her head a bit, watching me with a kind smile, “But you did help him, Dawn. You were there for Edward when he needed someone to ground him and get him through that ordeal. You couldn’t have known he would have such a strong reaction to your stepsister.”

 

“I didn’t really do much…” I sighed sadly, leaning back in my chair, my ears pressing back against the top of my head. Esme frowned and sat forward, putting a cold hand over the one on my leg. I couldn’t meet her gentle gaze as she peered up at my face.

 

“Dawn, sweetheart, you did plenty for Edward.” She whispered softly, hooking a gentle finger under my chin and turning my face until I met her warm black eyes. “You were there for Edward when he needed someone most…you gave him the support he needed during a critical point in his life. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

 

I frowned, sensing the sadness lurking just underneath the surface, hidden behind her gratitude and relief at knowing I was there; Esme wished she could have done more for Edward, too…she wished he would have gone to here in his time of need, that he would have leaned on her, too.

 

“He was worried about disappointing you, you know…” I whispered, breaking the brief silence that had enveloped us. Esme blinked slowly, her eyebrows furrowing, causing a little crease above the bridge of her nose as she cocked her head, as though silently asking what I meant. “Edward…I know he would have gone to you or Carlisle for help, but…he was scared of disappointing the two of you if you both knew what he’d thought of doing to Bella. He loves the two of you, so much, that he doesn’t want to do anything that’s going to hurt you or put any of you in danger. He cares about all of you very deeply.” I sighed, “He might kill me for saying all this, but…I just thought you deserved to know that.”

 

Esme’s expression softened further, and she squeezed my hand tightly in hers’, “I’m grateful you shared that with me, Dawn, thank you. It was something I really needed to hear.”

 

I smiled gently at her, “I’m glad it could make you feel better. You should never doubt just how wonderful a mother you are, Esme.” She giggled softly at my words, shaking her head slowly back and forth as she leaned toward me, cupping my cheeks to place an affectionate kiss on my forehead. I could feel her smile against my skin as she spoke.

 

“You are a very sweet girl, Dawn.” She moved back once more, her facial expression a lot more relaxed, happy, with a playful quirk dancing around the edges, “I still wonder how it is you and Edward never ended up as more than just friends.”

 

I snort at her words, rolling my eyes playfully back at her as I took another sip of my tea, “Don’t get me wrong, Esme, I love Edward like the big brother I never had, but…I can honestly say he isn’t my type.” I winked at her, “But don’t worry, there’s a girl out there for him somewhere, we just have to find her. I’m just as eager to see him happy with a mate of his own as you are.”

 

Esme nodded, stifling a giggle behind her hand before cocking her head a bit, “You know I worry about you just as much as Edward, though, Dawn. You deserve happiness, too. You’re in high school, but yet you’ve never had a boyfriend before.”

 

I shrug, leaning further into my chair and crossing my legs in front of me, “What can I say, none of the guys around here really do much for me. Yeah, there are attractive guys at school I might flirt with, but I just don’t see it going anywhere, you know? I haven’t felt that…s _park_.”

 

Esme cocked her head to the other side, “Like…that feeling you told us about before, when you explained about how demons found their soulmates?” I nod, listening to her hum gently to herself as she rubbed her chin, trying to remember what I’d told her about demons finding their perfect mate, “Hm, what was it again? A demon will know who their true mate is through their senses, right?”

 

I nodded again, “Yeah, it’s _almost_ like how a vampire perceives their singers, just…with any of our five senses. Usually our three main senses will be the ones that indicate who our perfect mate is,” I closed my eyes for a moment, picturing it in my mind like I had so many times before whenever my mother would tell me stories of how demons found their mates, recounting her own experience with my birth father all those years ago, “On sight, they will be the most attractive person we have ever seen, incomparable to anyone else; our sense of smell will become acutely attuned to their scent, their natural scent, so that nothing else will ever quite smell the same or be as strong as that person’s; and their voice? Like the most beautiful music we’ve ever heard or ever will hear in our lives.” I sigh deeply, half lost in the fantasy of how I would one day meet my soulmate, how it would happen, who it could be, “It’s rarer for a demon to find their soulmate through touch since they’ll either see, smell, or hear them first, but it’s happened. People sometimes describe feeling a spark whenever they find the one they’re supposed to be with…it sounds cheesy, something just cooked up by Hollywood to make a good movie, but for demons, it’s anything but. We _feel_ that spark with our soulmates. No matter if the demon and their mate has just met or have been together for decades, it’s always there, like a gentle current of electricity that leaves us…feeling so alive.”

 

A gentle, thoughtful hum from the woman before me slowly pulled me from my fantasies and I opened my eyes to find Esme watching me with her head still cocked, her expression tender, understanding, while her lips were curved up in a soft smile. She looked every bit the attentive mother, listening to her child going on and on about a toy or TV show they loved. It was a very natural look for her, I noted, even as my cheeks warmed in embarrassment at getting so carried away and I cleared my throat loudly, taking another sip of my tea. A quiet giggle escaped her as she watched me, her expression softening further, eyebrows furrowing once more, as though in thought.

 

“You’re sure you’ve never felt anything like this with a boy you’ve met?” She asked me softly; I shook my head, staring into my teacup quietly as I slowly swirled the warm liquid around inside. “Are you sure? There isn’t anyone at school who’s done any of this to you, any boys or…girls?”

 

I glanced up at her, watching her dark eyes appraise me cautiously, as though she was worried I would snap at her for simply suggesting that. She was just trying to help me figure something important out and wanted to be sure we covered every base. I smiled quietly, grateful for her concern, knowing talking about people’s sexual orientation was something of a sensitive topic nowadays.

 

“No, I’m pretty sure I would have noticed if anyone did trigger something.” I chuckled softly, shaking my head, “Especially any guys.”

 

Esme seemed to relax, seemingly glad to know a topic like that wouldn’t end explosively as she let out another small hum, “Not even with any of those boys you hang out with up on the reservation? What about that boy you’re close with, Jacob?”

 

I sighed deeply once more, ignoring the warmth in my ears at the mention of my best friend, “No, I haven’t felt anything like that for Jacob or any our friends, either…what is it with everyone and assuming I like my best guy friends? First kids at school think I’m dating Edward while my friends and family think I like Jacob…”

 

Esme stifled a giggle behind her head, smiling at me, “Well, you do spend a lot of time with him, Dawn.”

 

“Yeah, when I’m not over here.” I point out, “Half my time is spent here with you guys and Edward, but that doesn’t mean I like him.”

 

“And the other half is spent with Jacob.” Esme returned, quietly gesturing toward my teacup, which was almost empty, asking if I wanted more. I nodded gratefully as she rose gracefully to her feet and headed toward the kitchen; she returned with the kettle in hand before I could blink and poured more into my cup.

 

“We’re just friends, Esme.” I pursed my lips, taking a slow sip of my tea. “I enjoy hanging out with Jacob because we’re _friends._ It’s just like how I feel about Edward.”

 

“Whatever you say, Dawn.” Esme shook her head slowly, like a mother exasperated with her kids as she set the kettle on the table. My ears perked suddenly as I heard the familiar sound of tires crunching the driveway outside as a car pulled up to the house and, not seconds later, the front door swung open, quiet footsteps moving over the wooden floors toward us. Esme turned to greet her adopted children with a smile as Jasper gently lead Alice into the room, grasping her upper arm; she was still staring into space with a glazed over, far off look in her eyes, lost in her visions of the future.

 

“Hey guys.” I smiled at the two, glancing briefly behind them when I didn’t see Rosalie or Emmett with them; more than likely they’d gone to put the car away in the detached garage a couple of yards north of the house. I returned my attention to Jasper and Alice as he nodded tautly to me, his attention on his wife as he gently led her to sit on the couch. “…she seeing anything new with Edward?”

 

Jasper shook his head as Alice came out of her visions, blinking and sighing, “Edward’s still deciding to stay away…” I mimicked her frown, “The Denalis are letting him stay up north with him while he’s figuring everything out.”

 

I sighed, having figured as much as I leaned forward to put a hand on Alice’s shoulder, smiling faintly, “I’m sure when he decides to return, you’ll know right away…”

 

Alice glanced up at me, a weak smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she gave a small, thoughtful nod before a somewhat confused look crossed her features, as though she’d noticed something was missing as her eyes lifted to the crown of my head, “Your charm is still on.” She accused, lips pursing in disproval. I blinked, somewhat surprised as I reached up to touch the top of my head, my fingertips gliding over my hair.

 

“Sorry guys, I forgot.” I lowered my hand to pull my necklace out from my shirt, lifting it to my lips, _*”Urufuauto.”_ I whispered, shivering at the familiar tingle that rolled down my spine as the spell lifted, like a veil from my body. My ears sprang into existence and my tail brushed quietly against the soft cotton of my seat. The three vampires watched me tuck the charm back into my shirt, Esme with a frown while Alice had her arms crossed tightly in front of her.

 

“You’ve never forgotten to turn that off when you’ve come over before…” Esme furrowed her brows in concern, her eyes boring into my face, “You know you’re safe to be yourself here, Dawn…”

 

I nod, sighing, “Yeah I do…I’ve had to keep it on since Bella came since she doesn’t know about us…” I rub my neck, “I tried to make myself forget about my charm, so I didn’t accidentally turn it off when I was around her…”

 

“You haven’t been able to figure that out?” Esme frowned; I shook my head, frowning deeply to myself. “Mama and I did talk about sitting down with Bella one night when we were all together for dinner or something, but we never locked that in indefinitely…I still don’t know exactly what we’re going to do, it’s been a hectic couple of days, between Bella getting here and what happened with Edward…I haven’t even really been able to talk to mama or Charlie about it.”

 

“I’m sure you and your parents will be able to figure something out, sweetheart.” Esme smiled reassuringly at me, putting a hand over mine, “I know it can’t be easy.”

 

“When is it ever easy to tell someone you’re a family of humanoid wolves?” I snort, smiling to myself when I caught the corners of Esme and Alice’s lips quirking up. “But…we will figure it out, someway or another…I just hope we do it soon…it sucks having to hide at home when we used to be able to be ourselves. We already have to hide when we’ve out in public or at school…even when we’re around our best friends…well, our _human_ ones, anyway.”

 

The vampires nodded their heads slowly in understanding, knowing exactly how I felt since they, too, had to endure the hardships that came with living among humans, hiding who they truly were out in public to keep them from learning about our world. It was frustrating and tiresome to have to keep up a constant façade, which was why we enjoyed what little freedoms we could get at our homes or out in the woods when we were allowed them. It helped us maintain our disguise when we could have breaks where we could be who we really were…not what we _had_ to be to fit in.

 

“Well…if you, Henry, or Geoffrey ever feel restless, you know you’re all welcome here.” Esme told me in a gentle voice, drawing my attention once more as she squeezed my hand, “You know all three of you won’t have to hold anything back. Emmett’s been dying for a wrestling match with someone since he lost his last one to Jasper.” She giggled, pulling a laugh from my throat as well.

 

“How am I not surprised?” I snort in amusement, knowing Emmett always loved a challenge, especially in any and all competitive sport that held his fascination. His competitive streak was one reason why he and Henry were so close, as the two usually spent all their time together competing against one another in one thing or another. Emmett was able to beat him most of the time, since Henry was still young, but my younger brother was getting stronger and faster every day and would more than likely either overtake the vampire or be on equal footing with him soon. I was looking forward to seeing Emmett’s face when it happened. “I’ll be sure to pass along that message to the boys, though, Esme, thank you. Hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer to tell Bella about us, though, and we’ll be able to just be ourselves…”

 

Esme and Alice nodded their heads in agreement as I drank deeply from my teacup, glancing at the silver clock on the wall. It was about 3:30 now and I decided I’d probably stay for a while longer before I headed home for dinner, so I could spend some time with Esme and Alice. It was a relief to be at their house and relax with them, just us, without having to keep up appearances or pretenses. A welcome break I’d been looking forward to since Bella had moved in.

 

I decided to change to a lighter subject after that, hating to be the center of attention for long since I knew Esme and Alice both had lives of their own they had to worry about, too. Jasper left us to talk, heading upstairs as I asked both women how their work in interior design and fashion were going. Esme enjoyed restoring old houses, like this one, and had been doing so for a few around Forks, all of which were coming along splendidly, she told me. I was relieved to hear this, knowing it was her passion, much as fashion was for Alice. The younger vampire kept herself busy with keeping an eye on and making money off the stock markets and designing/buying clothing. Her spring line was coming along well, something I knew from the times when I helped model some of the clothes she designed, at her request, of course. At one point, Alice discretely tries to get me to agree to one of these modeling sessions, hinting that she might let me take some of the outfits home with me if I liked them, but I skillfully dance around that bomb, knowing I would likely be here all night if I were to agree as I point out I needed to get home for dinner. Alice pouts, obviously disappointed, and I promise the next time I come over I’ll let her dress me up as much as she wants. She begrudgingly agrees and walks me to the door with Esme.

 

“I’ll be sure to come visit soon for one of your make-overs, Alice.” I promise her with a smile after I’d hugged both vampires and pulled on my shoes; Esme helped me into my jacket, reminding me gently to turn my charm back on before I left. “And I’ll be sure to bring Henry and Geoffrey, too, I know they’re dying to hang out here again.”

 

“Please do, Dawn, we’d love to have you all over.” Esme smiled, squeezing my shoulder gently before getting the door for me, “Hopefully one of these days you’ll even be able to bring your stepsister over for a visit.”

 

I turned partially to face them again, “Maybe one day…but only if she figures out your secret. We promised we wouldn’t tell anyone else and my family keeps their promises, especially about something important like this.” I gently reached out to cup Esme’s chin, kissing her cold cheek, and smiling gently at her, “But, who knows, that day may come sooner than we think.”

 

Esme nodded her head slowly, smiling gently after me as I stepped out into the cold air and jumped the porch steps to the gravel drive. Esme and Alice watched me climb into my Camry and I honk once in goodbye as I pull away from the house, following their road back toward the highway. I turned on the radio to listen to some music on the way home since my house was just down the road now, only about a five minute drive from the Cullen’s house. Convenient for when my brothers and I wanted to run over, which took even less time thanks to our supernatural speed. Laughable since it took us only about a minute to reach the house on foot compared to when we had to drive. Well, then again…it was more of a straight shot on foot than when we were in our cars, so it was understandable it would take a lot less time…we were technically neighbors with just how close we were to them.

 

When I pulled up to the house, mama and Charlie’s cars were already parked in their usual spots out front and I could see them unlocking the front doors through the porch screen. I parked between mama’s minivan and Bella’s truck before hurrying to join them on the porch.

 

“Hello sweetheart.” Mama smiled at me as she and Charlie pulled open the first set of doors, Charlie smiling at me from my other side. I shook myself to get rid of what rain had gotten captured in my hair, pushing my bangs back out of my face.

 

“Hey, how’re you guys?” I kissed both my parents’ cheeks on my way past them as they opened the second set of doors inside, letting me through first. I quickly kicked off my shoes and put them on the rack next to the doors to dry, so they could come in behind me, shrugging out of my coat to hang it on the row of hooks on the wall before turning to help them. Mama smiled gratefully as I took her jacket before turning to help Charlie with his.

 

“Good.” Charlie gruffed as mama nodded her agreement and I smiled faintly; usually when Charlie said that, nothing much would have happened at the police station, or, at least, not anything he wanted to talk about. Mama was in a good mood, meaning there hadn’t been any major emergencies or something funny had happened at the hospital she would share with us later. It probably wouldn’t be anything gross if she told it at dinner since she knew we didn’t like hearing about anything like that while we were eating.

 

I cleared my throat as I hung up her jacket, wondering if I should bring up our predicament with Bella when there were footsteps on the back stairs behind us and a whiff of my stepsister’s scent wafted into the entrance hall, a mix of strawberries and worn pages, like the scent you would get from an old book. _(Speak of the devil…)_ I thought to myself as Charlie called out to Bella over the sound of dishes and pans being moved around in the kitchen.

 

“Hey guys, welcome home.” She called back as we heard the oven swing open and the sound of pans being exchanged from within as a pan was laid on top of the electric stove.

 

“Thank you, Bella.” Mama said gratefully as she and I dropped our keys into a porcelain bowl in the living room. “What’s for dinner tonight?” I could see Charlie look up in interest himself, obviously curious, too, since Bella had announced this morning she would be making dinner tonight, although there was caution there, too, in my stepfather’s eye. He’d told us about how imaginative his first wife had been and how she’d tried to include that in her cooking…even though it sometimes made the food inedible.

 

“Steak and potatoes.” Bella responded as we could hear her gathering ingredients from the fridge and bowls from the cabinet. Charlie immediately perked at this news and my mother smiled happily, “That sounds wonderful dear, thank you.”

 

“No problem…” Even from here, I could hear the embarrassment in Bella’s voice as she responded to the praise, obviously still not used to it. My mother giggled softly, and I shake my head, amused, before noticing my parents heading upstairs to get out of their work clothes. I clear my throat as I follow them up the stairs to the landing.

 

“Hey, can I talk to the two of you?” I gently tap my mother’s shoulder, drawing her attention; she cocks her head, looking at Charlie, who looks back, blinking. Mama then turns back to me, nodding.

 

“Of course, sweetheart, is something wrong?” She furrows her brows in concern, motioning me to follow as she and Charlie continue toward their room. I follow them inside and cross to the bay window, which overlooked the driveway, setting my backpack down next to me as I lean back into the thick cushions that decorated the sill. Charlie walked into the closet to hang up his gun belt and change in there as Mama grabs some fresh clothes from her dresser and stepped into their en-suite, leaving the door open a crack so she could still hear me.

 

“I’m fine, mama…” I called, bracing my foot against my seat and wrapping my arms around my ankle, chin on my knee, “I…I just know it’s been a hectic couple of days and we haven’t been able to talk about this much…but about Bella…we…we still haven’t agreed on how we’re going to tell her about us.”

 

“I thought we’d agreed to tell her when we were all together for dinner?” Charlie came out of the closet in more comfortable clothes, furrowing his thick brows at me. I look at my stepfather, flicking an ear quietly. “We were thinking about it…but I don’t think it was made into our definite plan.”

 

“Dawn is right.” Mama came out of the bathroom, running her claws through her hair to push it back out of her face; I was amused to see she’d put on one of Charlie’s old shirts over a pair of sweatpants. It was a shirt he’d given to her when they’d first started dating, which she now used as a nightshirt. Charlie flushed a little when he saw her wearing it, even as a loving smile tugged at the corner of his lips, just as it always did. Mama caught the look and flashed him an affectionate smile, despite the serious topic. “We did mention bringing it up at dinner as an idea, but we never made it official.” She sighed, “But with her just arriving and getting used to everything, including school and her peers…” Mama turned to me now as my ears pressed down at the memory of what had happened between Bella and Edward. Charlie noticed the look, glancing between us before settling his gaze on me.

 

“Bella isn’t getting picked on at school, is she, Dawn?” His lips pressed into a thin line in concern, his arms crossing. I looked up at him, shaking my head.

 

“No…there was a bit of a disagreement between her and one of the kids, but that’s about it.” I tried to smile reassuringly at Charlie when I noticed the way his forehead wrinkled in concern, his mind obviously shooting toward something supernatural happening; Charlie loved us, but he never made mama, my brothers, or I to tell him anything we didn’t feel comfortable sharing. The Cullens’ secret was not ours’ to tell and we wouldn’t speak a word of it unless they said we could. He obviously knew there was something different about them, considering they were some of the closest friends my brothers and I had, but he didn’t make us tell him what it was. Even now, I knew he wouldn’t push us to tell him anything we didn’t want to, even though we could clearly see how worried he was about his daughter. He trusted we would make sure she stayed safe against anything that threatened her. “I took care of it, don’t worry.”

 

The creases remained in his skin as he appraised me quietly and I smiled, knowing he would worry about me just as much as he worried about Bella. He sighed after a moment, nodding, “All right…just…try to be careful, Dawn.”

 

I smiled softly at my stepfather, nodding, “I’ll be careful, dad, I promise.” He nodded, looking somewhat relieved as mama smiled softly at the two of us. She walked over to Charlie, kissing his cheek softly and squeezing his shoulder reassuringly.

 

“Dawn’s a strong girl, you know she could handle anything.” She smiled at me as Charlie flushed faintly, nodding shyly in agreement as I stifle a giggle behind my hand, still finding it amusing how flustered he could still get around my mother. “As for telling Bella…maybe we should give it a bit more time. Let her settle in a bit more before we drop the bomb, hm?”

 

“Hm…we could prepare her for it…?’ Charlie spoke up, drawing our attention again; he rubbed his neck a little, obviously uncomfortable being the center of attention, “Kinda like you did for me when we first got together…Bella’s a reader, like me. Maybe if you show her that book, what was it again?”

 

Mama blinked slowly in thought, cocking her head, “You mean…the book my grandfather wrote on supernatural creatures?” Charlie nodded, and I hummed; the book my parents were talking about was a handwritten account of my grand-grandfather’s travels around the world. He’d been about my age when he left home and had turned his journal into a book when he returned, for future generations to enjoy. It was my favorite book out of our entire library, with it’s thick, hard cover, the beautiful, hand-written script and the illustrations of each supernatural creature that accompanied their descriptions. I kept it in the drawer of one of my bedside tables since I loved to read it so much. When mama and Charlie had first gotten together, mama hadn’t been quite sure about how to tell Charlie about the supernatural world and instead had him read that book, so he could connect the dots himself. It made the transition into the supernatural world easier on him, since it gave him the freedom to figure things out and accept them at his own pace. Maybe the same thing could happen with Bella…? “Hm…well, it couldn’t hurt to try it out.” Mama turned to me as I nod slowly in agreement.

 

“I’ll try to bring it up at dinner to get Bella interested.” I promised with a smile as there was a knock at the door; the three of us turned toward it and Charlie called for the person on the other side to come in. Geoffrey opened the door, sticking his head in.

 

“Bella said dinner’s ready.”

 

“Thank you, sweetie.” Mama smiled gratefully at Geoffrey, who nodded, once, and retreated from the door as Charlie ushered mama and I out after him. The four of us headed down the hall to the back staircase and descended to the kitchen, our noses lifting to sniff at the pungent aroma that greeted us. My mouth immediately watered at the scent of marinated steak and baked potatoes that wafted around us, the low grumble of my stomach comparable to the growl of a hungry wolf as my teeth itched to sink into the juicy meat that beckoned from the dishes on the dining room table, where Bella was setting the last of our meal.

 

“That smells delicious, Bells.” I hummed appreciatively as we joined her in the dining room, Henry coming in last with a couple of pitchers of juice in hand. Bella smiled shyly at me as she helped mama load food onto each of our plates while Henry and I filled cups and we sat down around the table. Each of us said thank you to my stepsister before we dug into our meal, falling into our easy evening routine. Mama told us a funny story about one of her ER patients and each of us kids took turns recounting our days. Bella ate her steak quietly as she listened, cocking her head a bit as she did, obviously interested in our stories, but unsure whether to add anything herself. Charlie cleared his throat from beside her as Henry finished talking about his day.

 

“So Bells,” He took a slow sip of his drink, looking at his daughter out of the corner of his eye, “How do you like your school? Have you made any friends?”

 

Bella looked at him, obviously not expecting to be put on the spot now, “Well, I have a couple of classes with this nice girl named Jessica,” I sank my teeth slowly into my next steak chunk, enjoying the wave of juices that enveloped my tongue and grateful for the distraction, so I didn’t cut in rudely, “There’s this boy, Mike, he’s really friendly, too. Dawn introduced me to some people she knew, and everyone’s been pretty nice.” Her expression scrunched a little at the end though and I knew she was probably recalling her experience with Edward. Charlie didn’t seem to notice, though, as he took another bite of his potato.

 

“Hm, that must be Mike Newton.” He chewed thoughtfully, cocking his head, “He’s a good kid, comes from a nice family. You know, his dad owns that sporting goods store just outside town. Makes a decent living off all the backpackers that come around here.”

 

Bella nodded slowly, thoughtful, as she looked between mama and Charlie, “Hey…do you guys know the Cullen family?” She asked quietly, hesitant. Mama looked up from the end of the table, cocking her head and nodding.

 

“Carlisle’s family? Of course, they’re good friends of ours’.” She smiled, taking a sip from her own glass. Charlie hummed in agreement, nodding, “Dr. Cullen’s a good man.”

 

Bella stabbed at her food absent-mindedly, tucking her hair behind her ear, “Hm, well, I’ve just noticed…his kids, they…they all seem a bit different. They don’t quite seem to fit in very well at school.”

 

Charlie pressed his lips tightly together at her words, his thick brows furrowing over his nose, expression tight, making Bella blink at him in surprise as he slowly shook his head back and forth, “People in this town.” He growled under his breath, waving a hand angrily, “Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon that could get work at any hospital in the world and get ten times more than he ever could here!” His voice was raising passionately, just as it always did whenever it came to this subject; even if he wasn’t as close to the Cullens as mama, the boys, and I were, he still liked them and hated how alienated they all were, “We’re lucky to have him here, thanks to his wife wanting to live in a small town. Both of them are wonderful assets to our community and all of those kids of theirs’ are well behaved and polite, especially when they come over to visit.”

 

Henry, Geoffrey, and I all nodded together, “They really are, they always use their manners and clean up after themselves when we’re hanging out.” I smile as mama hums her agreement. Charlie nodded, sighing out slowly. “I will admit, though, I had my doubts when they first moved in, what with all those adopted teenagers.”

 

Mama smiled gently at him in understanding, “It’s understandable, love, especially with their difficult pasts, but they’re all very well adjusted and mature for their ages, so you haven’t had any problems with them, right?”

 

Charlie snorted, nodding, “Not one speck of trouble, from any of them…more than I could say for the children of the folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they all stick together, just like a family should, what with those camping trips they take every other weekend.”

 

Mama nodded, “Hm mm, they’re even kind enough to invite us along sometimes, too…” She sighed, “If only we weren’t so busy, then maybe we might be able to go.” Charlie sniffed, “One day…” he sighed himself, shaking his head once more, “But just because they’re newcomers, people have to talk about them…”

 

Bella was staring at Charlie with wide eyes, obviously taken aback at how passionate he was about this, especially with that long-winded speech of his, which was very uncommon for him. I smiled to myself, amused, as I watched her backpedal, trying to find something else to say.

 

“Well…they all seemed nice enough to me.” She tried to sound complimentary, “It’s just…they keep to themselves an awful lot. I don’t see them talk much to anyone except each other and Dawn.” She looked at me now and I cocked my head a bit, “I couldn’t help but notice they’re quite attractive, too.”

 

“You should see Carlisle.” Mama giggled with a smile, cocking her own head, “It’s good he’s happily married, but there are a lot of the other nurses at the hospital who have a hard time concentrating on anything with him around.” Charlie chuckled to himself in agreement, remembering that himself from the times he’d been at the hospital working a case or visiting mama.

 

We all lapsed into a brief, comfortable silence to enjoy our food and mama asked Charlie if anything exciting had happened at the station; he responded it’d been a slow day, like I suspected, and we went on to talking about things going on around town, events at school or movies that would be playing in Los Angeles soon. I managed to get in a little bit of talk about reading with Bella, asking if she’d gone back to re-read any books from our class list. She told me she’d started reading _Wuthering Heights_ again for the fun of it and asked if I’d got into any of the books on our list yet. I told her of a few I’d read, and she asked if I still read my old favorite from our childhood. I was almost surprised she remembered, but told her, yes, I was, and she smiled, somewhat amused.

 

“Still into that supernatural stuff?’ She cocked her head and I couldn’t help but snort at the teasing tone of her voice.

 

“Of course.” I chuckled as dinner was wrapping up and we were clearing the table, “Hey, maybe one day I’ll get you hooked on the supernatural, too, huh?”

 

She smiled back at me, scrunching her nose playfully as the six of us split up the after dinner chores and straightened the kitchen/dining room out together, “One day.”

 

 _(Soon.)_ I mentally added with a smile of my own.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

The rest of the week went by without incident; the wind and rain died down some, allowing Bella to get a better night’s rest than she had been having and she was becoming accustomed to how things were around school. She got used to her schedule, learned to navigate the grounds with little trouble and knew practically all the other students by name and face. She was always with a large group at lunch now, which I was relieved about.

 

We didn’t see either hide nor hair of Edward all week and the rest of the Cullens and I returned to our normal routine. Alice still tried to probe into the future to see when he would return, but often gave up when she couldn’t find anything more useful than what she already knew, and she returned to keeping an eye on her husband throughout the day.

 

The only other person seemingly aware of Edward’s absence was Bella; I noticed it after I’d started sitting at her table at lunch, although I did my best to stay as far from Jessica as I possibly could and watched my stepsister each day as she anxiously awaited the Cullens/Hales arrival, only able to relax and join in on the lunchtime conversation when she saw the couples enter the cafeteria without Edward in tow. This week’s topic centered around the trip to La Push Beach Mike was still trying to organize; he’d finally decided to plan the trip for a weekend two weeks in the future and invited Bella and I to join. Bella politely accepted the invitation and I told him I would try to get off work.

 

Bella was a lot more relaxed by the time Friday rolled around, although I could tell Edward’s continued absence still waited heavy on her mind, especially as she sat alone at her lab table in the back. She tried to conceal this by pretending to enjoy the abundance of space she now had, spreading her books out across the table top as she wanted, but I wasn’t fooled. It still bothered her, I knew. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could do at the moment, not if she wasn’t willing to confide in me about it…

 

I kept myself busy over the weekend, so I wouldn’t dwell on it too much; I did my twenty hours at the shelter and kept my promise to Alice, although I ended up spending Saturday night over at her house since she got, a little, carried away with making me over. Thankfully for me, I was saved from spending the entire night dressing up.

 

Edward came back.

 

He explained about how he’d spent the last week going over what had happened while he was with the Denali coven and decided he didn’t want to run away anymore. He wanted to face his challenges head on. He wanted to go back and face Bella.

 

Although somewhat surprised and worried about what this could mean, the rest of the family decided to support Edward in his decision and did everything they could to prepare him for facing my stepsister again. Our Sunday was spent out in the mountains, hunting as many animals as we could get our hands on; Edward made sure to gorge himself full of blood to prepare for seeing Bella again, even though all of us knew that would do little good once he smelled her. Well, it was better than nothing, wasn’t it? A precaution, just to be safe.

 

On Monday, I drove into school with Bella like I usually did; we were all worried about Edward, but I knew he wouldn’t like all of us hovering around him like overprotective parents. Bella’s scent was strong, and her blood called out to him, but I’d witnessed Edward’s steely resolve and his incredible feat of control firsthand, so I knew he would be able to handle being around her again. If he had that much self-control with her last week, when he was desperately thirsty and needed blood, then being back after gorging himself like he did should be easy. Should be.

 

 _(You should still be ready, just in case.)_ I growled lowly at the words as Bella and I took our seats in English, absent-mindedly nodding to Mike as he took his seat beside Bella. I needed to have faith in Edward. If he could handle it last week, he could handle it today. He could do this. I nodded to myself at my thoughts and focused intently on the pop quiz we were given on _Wuthering Heights._ It wasn’t all that difficult, pretty straightforward. I should thank Bella sometime for getting me into the classic novel so young…hopefully I would be able to return the favor by getting her into my book. A girl could hope, right?

 

It was snowing by the time we got out of English, a welcome distraction as we stepped out into the biting wind. I smiled to myself as our classmates shouted excitedly about the swirling puffs, already taking full advantage of the cold slosh to throw slush balls at one another as I raised my hand to catch a few snowflakes in my palm. They melt immediately at coming into contact with my skin and I inhaled the cold, wet air, letting it fill my lungs, sending energy crackling through my veins.

 

“Ew.” Bella’s voice broke me from my reverie and I turned to look at my stepsister, who was watching the snow fall past her face with her nose wrinkled in disgust, eyebrows pulled into a single line over her eyes in irritation. Ah, right…she didn’t like rain, which meant she wouldn’t like snow, either. Mike was looking at her in surprise, his eyes wide in wonder at the snow.

 

“You don’t like snow?’ he frowned, furrowing his own brows. Bella shook her head, pulling her hood tighter around her head.

 

“No, if it’s snowing, it’s too cold for rain.” She sniffed, as though that should have been obvious, “Besides, I thought when it snowed, it was supposed to come down in flakes, each one unique and everything, these,” she indicated the flying little fluff balls, “look like the end of Q-tips.”

 

Mike quirked a brow in disbelief, looking at me quizzically as I snorted, “Bella hasn’t seen snow falling in person before. It’s always too hot.” I quirked a brow at my stepsister myself, who wrinkled her nose further at me; I couldn’t help but snort again, grinning back at her before I felt something cold and wet smack me, hard, in the back. I stumbled a little at the force but caught my balance and whirled around to find the offender.

 

A big, lumbering shape was zipping around the corner of the nearest building, familiar laughter trailing behind it far enough that it tickled my invisible ears. I narrowed my eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

 

“I’ll catch you at lunch, Bella.” I told my stepsister, who was already hurrying in the direction of her next class as Mike, himself, had been targeted by another snowball sniper. She threw a quick ‘See you later,’ over her shoulder as I rolled my sleeves past my wrists, making my way toward the building where the first had disappeared.

 

The school was abuzz with chatter of the snow for the remainder of the morning, which was pretty common when it was the first snowfall of the year. Everyone took advantage of it, issuing snowball fights between classes; I got in a few myself, mostly with Emmett and Jasper, the former having been the one to lob the first mush ball at me as a way of initiating me into our three way battle. Edward was the only one of the three brothers who didn’t participate, still too preoccupied with his own troubles to really put much effort into doing anything else. I got dragged into Emmett and Jasper’s attempts to get him involved by way of bombardment, but we soon gave up when we did not get any kind of response from him and, instead, just kept our fight between the three of us.

 

At lunch, I had to scurry back to check in with Bella, although I promised I would catch up with the vampires at their table once I had my food. They would reach the cafeteria before I did, anyway, since they were closer, and I knew the other Cullens would want to be sure he wouldn’t do anything if he saw (smelled) Bella. I caught up with my stepsister and Jessica just outside the cafeteria and we were joined by Mike a few minutes later, his carefully gelled spikes melting under the weight of the snow in his hair. I listened in amusement as he and Jessica animatedly talked about the snow fight as Bella and I led the way into the lunch line, Bella’s head turning to scan the room automatically until she froze, her eyes locking on that one table in the far corner. Jessica collided with my back, making me stumble and huff loudly, impatient.

 

“Hey, what’s the hold up? Move, Dawn!”

 

“How about you chill, instead, Jessica?” I frowned at her, pressing my lips tightly before turning my back pointedly on her again, gently putting a hand on Bella’s shoulder, “Hey, Bella, are you okay?”

 

Bella seemed to snap back to reality and lowered her gaze to the floor, her face flooding with color. My ears pressed down, and I squeezed her shoulder gently, feeling Mike lean around, pressing Jessica into me again.

“Hey, what’s with Bella?” he frowned in concern, watching her closely; Bella shook her head quickly, pulling away from my hold.

 

“It’s nothing…” She muttered, moving along the counter to catch up with the end of the line; I followed her, “I think I’ll just get a soda today.”

 

“You’re not hungry?” Jessica furrowed her brows, earning a headshake, too, “I’m feeling a little sick, actually…” Bella told her, keeping her eyes on the floor.

 

My gaze swept the room to the five vampires in the corner in understanding, knowing seeing Edward again had to be a shock…more than likely she hadn’t expected it and she wasn’t looking forward to meeting him face to face again in Bio. Hopefully Edward would act a bit politer today and help resolve some of her anxiety.

 

We got our food and I followed the trio out into the cafeteria, turning to follow them to their table when I felt something small and hard hit my side, making me jump and turn. A familiar grin greeted me from that one corner, making me narrow my eyes a bit as I discretely stuck the tip of my tongue out at Emmett; his quivered at the gesture, a small enough motion not to be detectable to human eyes. I turned back to my stepsister, gently tapping her shoulder and leaning down.

 

“I’ll catch up with you after lunch, Bells, I have a score to settle.” I whispered to her, making her look up from her soda bottle with a frown. I turned without giving her the chance to answer and crossed the cafeteria to where the vampires were sitting. Emmett watched me approach with an amused smirk and I could see Jasper fighting his own grin; Rosalie crossed her arms tightly, unimpressed, while Alice had a thoughtful look and Edward was wound as tight as a spring ready to pop, even as he tried to keep a natural, good-natured grin on his face to make it seem like he was enjoying lunch with his siblings.

 

“Do I even need to make guesses as to _who_ hit me with ice?” I quirked a brow playfully at the biggest of the five as I set my tray down next to Edward and sat down. Emmett let out a low, deep throated laugh.

 

“Sorry, Dawn, I was aiming for Alice, but she deflected it.” He nodded to his sister, who quirked a brow.

 

“Only after you threw it at me at super strength.” She buffered, earning another bark of laughter as Rosalie rolled her eyes, still not amused. A thoughtful look overtook Alice’s features as she looked at Edward, whose jaw suddenly clenched. Emmett chuckled once more.

 

“You know, you should learn to ease up a bit, Edward.” He said, his expression easy, relaxed, “Really, what’s the big idea if you do kill a human, it isn’t going to be the end of the world.”

 

Edward pressed his lips, unimpressed, as I took a sip from my soda bottle, “Yeah, you would know.”

 

Emmett laughed softly, “You’ve really got to learn to just get over things, like me. Eternity’s a long time to sulk.”

 

I opened my mouth to agree with Emmett when Alice moved suddenly, tossing a small handful of ice she had hidden in her petite hand directly in Emmett’s face. He blinked, taken aback, before an evil grin overtook his features. Uh oh.

 

“Oh, you asked for it,” he smirked at Alice, shifting to lean across the table toward my, Alice, and Rosalie’s corner, shaking his head rapidly in her direction; the ice in his hair flew out in a shower of half liquified slush, spraying all three of us.

 

“Ew!” Rosalie exclaimed in disgust as she and Alice leaned out of range of the spray, Alice letting out a small laugh of amusement as she held up her tray to use as a shield. I stayed where I was sitting, already mostly wet from the spray as Emmett leaned away, looking at me with sparkling eyes as Jasper gave a low chuckle.

 

“You look like a half drowned dog, Dawn.” He pressed his lips together in amusement; I couldn’t fight the grin I could feel tugging at the corners of my lips as I raised my eyebrows playfully at him and Emmett.

 

“Gee, I wonder whose fault that is.” I snort, sweeping my drenched bangs out of my face and standing to lean over the table, “You two are gonna pay for that.”

 

“Oh yeah and just how are you -?” Emmett started to say when I braced my hands on the table top and began to shake myself, hard, like a dog did after they’d just been given a bath or been out in the rain, shaking my head rapidly to spray the boys with the water from my hair. Cold water sprayed around the table, making Rosalie and Alice shriek as the three boys burst into a round of laughter, each of them raising their arms to shield their faces. They were each still laughing as I sat down, still damp, but drier than before, my hair sticking up at odd angles around my face from it’s vigorous drying, which only made them laugh harder, my own grin growing at knowing I’d entertained them.

 

“Dawn looks like a porcupine.” Emmett laughed at me as I reached up to run my claws through my hair, trying to tame it again; Alice immediately reached over to help me, her cold fingers gliding easily through the messy black strands to smooth them back into place. It was then I’d noticed Edward had turned, focused on the table where I had left my stepsister, my ears turning instinctively to listen. I could pick up Jessica’s voice, whispering now, but still detectable, even in the din of the lunchroom.

 

“Edward Cullen is string at you.” Edward’s eyebrows pinched a little, his lips pressing tighter, obviously having heard her words, displeased with whatever tone he could detect in her mind, but still intent on hearing Bella’s response.

 

“He doesn’t look angry, does he?” I dared a glance over my shoulder at her, letting Alice do what she liked with my hair, frowning. Jessica glanced our way at that second, her eyebrows setting into a line over the bridge of her nose as she surveyed Edward’s expression before turning back to Bella.

 

“No,” Jessica held an innocent amount of surprise and confusion in her voice, just to appear worried, “Should he be?”

 

There was a brief pause as Bella rested her head against the arm laid out on the table, “I don’t think he likes me…” I cocked my head worriedly, wondering if Bella really was sick…should I try to convince her to go to the nurse’s office to lay down, regain her strength? Maybe she wasn’t quite ready to face Edward yet.

 

“The Cullens hardly like anyone,” Jessica sniffed, glancing toward our table again with a displeased look, obviously searching me out; I was careful to avoid her gaze, so she wouldn’t think I was staring, looking at Edward as though I was going to say something, “Well…they hardly notice anyone enough to like them…aside from your sister, anyway.” She turned away and I was almost surprised at how well she was able to keep her tone in check, “But, he’s still staring at you.”

 

“Stop looking at him,” Bella hissed at her, embarrassed, raising her head to make sure Jessica obeyed as the other girl snickered, but did as asked.

 

I turned back to my table, sensing Bella was now attempting to keep her attention on hers’ as Mike was dominating the conversation with talk of having a snow fight in the parking lot after school. Unfortunately for him, however, his plans would not come to pass, since the six of us could hear the soft fall of snow had been replaced by the steady patter of rain as it drummed out a steady rhythm against the roof, quiet enough not to be heard over the loud chatter in the room. Everyone would be disappointed to know the snow had gone just as easily as it had come; I had to fight to keep my bottom lip from pushing out in a pout, wishing it could have stayed a little longer, too. It would have been nice to be able to have a snowball fight of our own over at the Cullen house with Henry and Geoffrey. Ah well…easy come, easy go, I suppose…

 

At the end of our lunch period, the Cullens and I stayed at our seats while the rest of the student body filed out of the cafeteria. I glanced at Edward quietly along with the rest of his family, inclining my ears toward him now to see what he would do. He looked as though he was thinking things over, debating whether or not he was strong enough to go to Biology, sit close to Bella like he had last week. I reached over to put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly and offering him an encouraging smile as he turned to me, letting him know I believed in him, that I knew he could do it.

 

“I…think it’s okay.” Alice spoke up, her voice quiet, hesitant, obviously still worried since she still couldn’t see past the blind spots in her visions where I interfered, “Your mind seems set, Edward, so I think you could make it through the hour.”

 

Edward’s expression tightened, knowing how quickly a mind could change, just as the rest of us did.

 

“You shouldn’t push this, Edward.” Jasper spoke up, watching him with a mixed expression of concern, empathy, and a touch of smugness at seeing he wasn’t the one under constant surveillance. “Why don’t you head home for now, take it slow.”

 

“No, I think Edward can do this.” I disagreed as Emmett huffed out his own complaint, obviously not liking the idea either, “He’s been fine so far. If he was able to get through an hour around Bella last week, he should be able to do it now.”

 

Emmett nodded his head in agreement, “And even if he can’t, we know Dawn is going to be there to help him like she was before. He might as well just go and get this whole thing over with. It’s like a band-aid.”

 

“I don’t want to move again…” Rosalie pursed her lips in disproval, obviously not liking the idea of the repercussions if things went badly, “I don’t want to have to leave this place to start over again somewhere…not when we’re almost out of high school, finally.”

 

I frowned quietly in understanding, knowing having to repeat the same grades again and again in an endless loop like they did had to get pretty tedious after a while. I couldn’t blame Rosalie for not wanting to have to start all that again so soon, not when she and Emmett were almost finished with high school for, what must be, the hundredth time.

 

“Well…it’s Edward’s choice.” I turned to look at him again, watching the conflict flicker across his face as he tried to decide what he should do, considering everything we had just said. His expression suddenly shifted, though and I guessed he had finally come to a decision. He turned to meet my gaze with a determined look in his eye, giving a single nod and I gave a gentle smile in understanding; he was going to face her.

 

“I think it’ll really be okay, Rose,” Alice spoke up, noticing the look in Edward’s eyes, too, “The future is firming up. I’m ninety-three percent sure nothing bad is going to happen.” Her brows furrowed inquisitively, though, as she turned to look at Edward now, evidently curious as to what brought on this change of his. Edward frowned back at her, as though unsure himself, even as he pushed away from the table.

 

“Go to class.” He ordered the other four vampires, pausing long enough to wait until I had my messenger bag slung safely across my shoulders before striding toward the exit. I waved to the rest of the Cullens and hurried out into the cold, wet air; the rain had effectively washed away the snow that had accumulated that morning, washing it away down the sides of the sidewalk to create mud puddles in the grass.

 

“So…how are we going to do this?” I asked as I caught up to him, matching his stride toward the science building, “Do you want me to introduce you to Bella or…do you want to introduce yourself…?”

 

Edward was quiet as we approached the door and I wondered if, maybe, he wouldn’t answer when he stopped, turning to face me now, “Maybe it would be easier if you introduced us, first. It could make her more…comfortable.”

 

I adjusted the strap of my bag and nodded, wondering for a moment if that was true as I watched Edward take in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the clean air before he held the door open for me. I smiled gratefully at the gesture and stepped into the classroom, hoping our plan worked.

 

Thankfully for Edward and I, class had not started yet, as Mr. Banner was still busy setting up the equipment for today’s lab; the two of us hung up our coats before we approached our tables. Bella was already in her seat, her head low as she concentrated on what she was doodling absent-mindedly on the cover of her notebook while the rest of the class was caught up in their own conversations. Edward grabbed his chair, pulling it back roughly to announce his presence and I winced at the loud scrape of the metal legs against the linoleum; he smiled apologetically to me, knowing how sensitive my hearing was as I deposited my bag on my own chair and walked around beside Bella, feigning interest in the meaningless loops she was making with her pencil.

 

“Thinking of hypnotizing someone, Bells?” I smiled at her as she glanced up, blinking, and shook her head, carefully avoiding looking in Edward’s direction. I pat her back gently, smiling reassuringly at her, “Hey, I didn’t get the chance to introduce you two properly,” I took a half step back, indicating toward Edward. He kept his chair as far from her as he physically could, but had it turned toward her today instead of away. He had arranged his face into a friendly, open expression, giving her a gentle smile without revealing any of his teeth. “Bella, this is Edward. Edward, this is my stepsister, Bella.”

 

“Hello.” Edward greeted her in a quiet, friendly voice, hoping it would make Bella feel more comfortable. She looked past me to him, surprise flitting across her features that he had actually spoke to her. I could see in her eyes that she had about a million questions quizzing through her mind now, as she darted her gaze in my direction, wondering where all this was coming from. I smiled reassuringly at her, letting her know it was okay, watching her gaze flicker back to Edward, a flush coming to her cheeks suddenly. He watched her closely, obviously curious, searching the depths of her eyes as he waited for her to speak. He cleared his throat after a beat, though.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Bella.” He told her kindly, cocking his head a little as Bella’s eyes furrowed, causing a small pucker over the bridge of her nose, “I’m sorry it’s taken so long for us to be properly introduced.”

 

Bella frowned at him, still seemingly trying to comprehend what was happening, “How…do you know to call me Bella?”

 

Edward blinked, surprised at the question, and glanced at me with a quirked brow, as though wondering if he’d done something wrong. I raised my own brown, nodding for him to just go with it and he returned his attention to Bella.

 

“It’s hard not to know your name when the entire town’s been waiting for your arrival.” He chuckled softly, smiling, as though amused, as Bella’s lips press tightly together at his news, “Dawn’s been particularly excited about having you here, she’s told me a lot about you.” He indicated toward me unnecessarily and I rubbed my neck sheepishly as Bella shot me a glare.

 

“Hey, I was excited, okay? I didn’t tell him everything,” I told her, knowing she hated anyone taking about her or being the topic of anyone’s conversation. “I thought you might like someone who knows just to call you Bella instead of Isabella, anyway.”

 

Bella still did not look pleased that I’d talked about her so openly, but relieved to know there was at least someone outside our family who knew to call her by her preference; usually whenever he talked about her, Charlie used her full first name instead of her nickname, so that was how a lot of people had come to know her. Mama had even called her Isabella for the first couple of years she’d visited with us, until Bella was old enough to be able to voice her preference herself.

 

Mr. Banner was calling everyone to attention and I excused myself to my seat, telling them to play nice as I did so; we would be doing a lab today with our neighbors to put the slides of onion root tip cells in the boxes on our desk in the correct order of mitosis phases they represented. Without our books. He would be giving us twenty minutes before he would be coming around the room to check our worksheets to find out who had it right.

 

Seeing as how my desk mate was absent today, I moved my bag from my chair to hers’ and got out my materials for the lesson, turning my head back toward Edward and Bella’s table when I noticed movement aimed in my direction. Edward was leaning away from Bella again, as far as the desk would allow him, his head twisted out into the aisle; his body locked into a tense posture, hands gripping his knees as though he was steadying himself, an unmistakable plea in his gaze as he met mine.

 

He needed more air, of course, if he wanted to be able to keep up a conversation with Bella, at least while they were working on the lab and he was asking me to help him get in as much clean air as we could manage without drawing in too much of her scent. I purposely dropped my notebook onto the lab table, just as I had last week, and he immediately opened his mouth to suck in as much of the air it created as he could. It was almost enough to fill his lungs to full capacity again, but I could tell bits of Bella’s scent had managed to filter in, too, in the way his pupils dilated, his mouth snapping shut as he clenched his jaw, tight, causing a few veins on his neck to push out against his skin for the briefest of seconds.

 

I was holding my breath by the time Edward managed to compose himself, sitting straight once more as he sent me a small, grateful nod, although in his eyes I could see him asking me to watch him, closely. I exhaled, slowly, giving a single nod of my own before he turned to face my stepsister once more, schooling his expression back into a more relaxed one, his lips twisting into an easy, crooked smile that would make anyone swoon.

 

I watched the two for a moment longer before turning quickly to my own table, one ear inclined toward them to listen closely, my senses fine-tuned to detect even the slightest change in mood or atmosphere. On the outside, I did my best to present a normal, relaxed persona so as not to alert the other occupants of the room to anything out of the ordinary, silently snapping the slides into place under the microscope and scanning them under the 40x objective, writing each phase on the lines Mr. Banner had provided for us on our worksheets. To them, I was just another faceless student going about my academic career as always, but hidden under the calm, collected surface, my own muscles were locked in place, body coiled tight in preparation to spring at a second’s notice. Edward knew I trusted him, but he knew the risks, too, and he knew it was better I was prepared to do whatever I had to do to stop him from hurting anyone than let him slaughter everyone else here.

 

Edward and Bella finished their lab just about a minute before I finished mine and I settled down in my chair to wait as the rest of the class struggled with it, gazing around the room with, what I hoped, was a bored expression as our classmates worked. Even with how distracted I was, the lab hadn’t been all that difficult to complete, although there were a few slides I had to check more than once to be sure I’d labeled them correctly before I felt confident in my answers. A few groups were attempting to use their books to complete the assignment, held open in their laps under the table so Mr. Banner wouldn’t be able to see; Mike and his partner were stuck on a pair of slides they kept comparing back and forth. I sighed to myself and leaned my chin against my knuckles to feign my boredom further as I flipped my notebook to the last page to draw some random designs, flicking the ear inclined toward my stepsister and the vampire as I listened to them chat.

 

There was still a very obvious tension between the two of them, remnants of unease from their first meeting lingering in Bella while Edward attempted to keep a tether on his self-control; he’d had to take a couple of controlled breathes since the beginning of the class and I could sense his discomfort as Bella’s scent burned his throat, setting it aflame from thirst. He managed to keep his composure, though, and when I chanced a glance at him through the curtain of my hair, he was not looking back at me, but, rather, at Bella, his expression a mixture of frustration and intrigue all in one. She met his eye, getting caught in his gaze for a split second before something in his expression seemed to register in her mind.

 

She asked if he’d gotten contacts, surprising Edward for a moment, who automatically responded that he hadn’t; Bella frowned, unconvinced, but glanced away, shy once more as she pointed out she’d noticed something different about his eyes. He stiffened suddenly in understanding, but shrugged, as though to brush it off as he turned away from her, his lips pressing together as he glared at the whiteboard in front. Of course she would notice the change in his eye color, considering the last time his eyes had been a flat black, obvious against the background of his snowy skin; his eyes were lighter today due to his over excessive binge on animal blood over the weekend to prepare for today. His iris more closely resembled a golden hue, a color somewhere between amber and butterscotch.

 

I glanced up when I sensed someone join the pair and half listened to Mr. Banner talking to the two about the lab; he asked Edward if he had even given Bella a change with the microscope, addressing her by her given name. Edward corrected him respectfully and told him Bella had named three of the five slides, causing our teacher to turn to her, somewhat skeptical. I rolled my eyes at the pretentious man and returned to what I was drawing. Bella had done this lab before in Phoenix since she’d been in more advanced classes, although, from what she’d told me, she’d used whitefish blastula, not onion root. This lab was a cakewalk for her. Mr. Banner considered this and mentioned how it was good the two were partners before leaving them be, mumbling about how now the other kids could learn something as he approached my table to see how I was doing, obviously looking for anyone he could correct. He asked me a few questions as he looked over my lab and I could see the disappoint in his expression when he found that all my answers were correct as well. I hardly even had to look up from my notebook to talk with him, my focus still on Bella and Edward so I didn’t notice when he slunk away to pester one of the other teams.

 

Edward had tried to take a stab at small talk, bringing up the misfortune of losing the snow, although Bella shrugged it off, telling him she didn’t really like the cold or wet. He was surprised by this, since I hadn’t really let him in on this fact beforehand and observed that it must be difficult for her to live in Forks when she admitted she didn’t like the type of weather it was typical of. When he attempted to probe deeper, she tried to brush it away by simply telling him her situation was complicated, but he was persistent. I glanced toward them quietly as Bella suddenly went quiet, perking a bit in surprise that she didn’t outright say she didn’t want to talk about this. No one at school at ever asked her outright why she came, and Bella had been more than happy to keep that information to herself, but, now, I could see her considering her options, wondering if she should tell this almost complete stranger something so personal about herself. I was beginning to berate myself for even considering this when Bella lifted her gaze to Edward from where she’d been watching her hands, blurting out about her mother’s remarriage.

 

I almost fell out of my chair, my eyes wide at how easily he had been able to get her to wrangle that out of her; it was like pulling freaking teeth getting Bella to open up about anything, especially her feelings, to me, someone who grew up with her!

 

I watched the pair in surprise as Edward picked away stealthily at Bella’s defenses, chipping away at her walls as he extracted information piece by piece. I still couldn’t quite believe how easily she was telling him her situation with Renee and Phil, what had led her to make the decision to move to Forks, her willingness to sacrifice her own happiness for her mother. She barely knew him and already she was opening up to him as easily as though they’d known one another for years…he was seeing the pain and misery she tried so hard to hide, that she tried to keep to herself, the emotions she didn’t let anyone else witness, not even me or our family. I’d known Edward was perceptive, but damn…how did he _do_ that?!

 

He mentioned how she must suffer by herself, hiding away the pain she felt so no one else would see and I watched, amused, as Bella made a face at him in turn, evidently not pleased, and turned away from him. Edward tried to lighten the mood, offering a joke, but she did her best to ignore him, making the vampire chuckle, amused. They spoke once more, then fell into a short, thoughtful silence, each wrapped up in their own musings before Bella let out a slow sigh, prompting Edward to strike up another conversation; she mentioned how easy she usually is to read, which annoyed her, but he was amused, pointing out he found her hard to read, even though I knew he was an exceptional reader. Then again…he’d pointed out his difficulty with understanding my stepsister, especially with his gift, when we’d been out hunting, and I wondered, briefly, if that had caused that spark of fascination I could see in his eyes as he spoke with her now.

 

I was distracted from my thoughts, however, when I noticed the smile Edward was directing at Bella now, revealing his teeth for the first time, an unmistakable warning in his eyes. He was telling her to be careful, to keep her distance, just like the other humans, especially since, I suddenly noticed, the two were closer than they had been at the beginning of class. She was leaning toward him, close enough he could probably feel her body heat. I watched the two closely, wondering what was about to happen when Mr. Banner called the class to attention. Bella turned to listen to him in relief, whether consciously or subconsciously understanding the meaning behind Edward’s smile or not and he turned his body away from her, leaning toward me now, gripping the edge of the table to ground himself.

 

I did my best to pay attention to Mr. Banner as he illustrated our lab on the overhead projector up front, glancing at Edward now and again throughout the lesson; he remained rigid in his seat, his body tensed just as it was last week, although there was a different emotion in his expression today. There was no anger or resentment toward my stepsister, there was only fascination. For who she was, where she came from and every insignificant detail about her that went with it. And yet, behind that fascination was also fear and concern for her safety. He knew the dangers of introducing her to the supernatural world, of being around her when he was a vampire, when her scent was so incredibly appealing to him, when he already struggled so hard just to be around her for a single hour at a time. A problem we were easily reminded of when Bella unintentionally sent a fresh wave of her scent toward him when she shook out her hair, catching him off guard when he went to take another breath.

 

His body hunched automatically in response, just like it did that first day, into a partial hunting posture, like a predator preparing to spring at its’ unsuspecting prey at a second’s notice, his pupils dilating further, his lips pressing tight into his teeth, as though preparing to pull back into a snarl. His eyes reflected his internal struggle against the monster threatening to break free, to destroy anything and everything that kept it from what it wanted most. I mentally reminded Edward to stop breathing to help him keep his control. His shoulders froze as he stopped the flow of air through his lungs, his eyes meeting mine once more. I looked back at him, promising I was there, that I wouldn’t let him do anything he would regret.

 

It was a relief when the bell finally sounded, allowing Edward the chance to escape out into the clean, wet air just outside. I sighed softly, shoving my belongs into my messenger bag and slinging it over my shoulder to join Bella and Mike as they shrugged into their raincoats. He’d noticed how friendly Edward had been toward Bella today and I could practically feel the jealousy roll off him in waves. Bella shrugged, feigning indifference.

 

“He was trying to make up for last week.” I spoke up, slipping my own raincoat on before following the two toward the door, “He hated how he’d left things, Bells, he’s really sorry.” I looked at my stepsister; surprise flitted across her face for the briefest of seconds, obviously not expecting that. She didn’t get the chance to respond to this, though, as a soft voice called my name, drawing my attention. I turned, spotting Alice waiting for me around the side of the building, her eyebrows raised high on her forehead as a silent way of telling me we needed to talk. I nod quietly to her, turning quickly back to Bella.

 

“Hey, uh…I’ll catch you at home, okay? I gotta…” I gestured vaguely, unsure what to say before nodding toward Alice; Bella glanced past me, then met my gaze in understanding, her brows setting uneasily over her eyes.

 

“I’ll see you at home…” she muttered, casting another glance Alice’s way before she allowed Mike to lead her away toward the gym. I turned to Alice, who moved us away from the crowds, out of earshot of any humans that could be nearby. She did a quick glance around to be sure we wouldn’t be overheard before turning on me, her eyes wide, expression melting into relief, making me frown.

 

“Bella, she’s –“ Alice’s gaze flickered in the direction my stepsister had gone and I understood immediately; she had seen something and had come to make sure it didn’t happen.

 

“She’s fine.” I smiled reassuringly, “There were some…close moments, but Edward got through it. Bella’s okay.”

 

Alice let out a slow, relieved breath and nodded, although her expression soon became troubled, “I really thought he’d done it…he came very close.” She pressed her lips tightly together as she looked up at me; I frowned, noting the concern in her eyes as my gaze drifted toward the Spanish building, where Edward had his last class with Emmett. “I didn’t think it was that close…I thought he was doing well.”

 

“He was…” Alice hummed to herself, following my gaze, “But it was still close...” She sighed deeply, shaking her head with a somber expression and I glanced at her now, knowing how she felt in that moment, knowing how worried she was for her brother, the suffering he was going through. I was still worried about Bella’s safety, yes, I would always worry about it, especially with how fragile she was, but I still worried about Edward and hated what he had to suffer through. I wished there was someway to help him, to make things easier, to get him through this…anything besides him having to leave again. I squished the voice inside that said it would have been better if he’d stayed in Denali, feeling a swell of guilt for even letting that thought enter my mind. No, he belonged here, with us, with his family and friends.

 

We would find a way to make this work, one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> *Wolf out


	3. Phenomenon

After my conversation with Alice, I decided it would be best if I headed on over to the Cullen household again to see if I couldn’t talk to Esme about some other solutions we could figure out in regard to the problem at hand. I still trusted Edward and wanted to support him in this endeavor, but there was only so far you could push someone’s limits before they snapped and did something they regretted; we had to figure out some way he could stay in the same room with Bella without putting her and the rest of our class in danger. And just exactly _how_ I would be able to restrain the vampire if and when I needed to without revealing our secrets to our classmates…

 

It was a relief to, at least, know Edward had enough restraint to keep himself from harming Bella, although Esme did voice her concerns that today’s incident could convince him he should leave, again. I comforted the kind-hearted Cullen matriarch, assuring her we would figure out another solution to our problem that wouldn’t involve his departure from our family, even if it would be just until Bella graduated and left Forks, although there was another fear that lurked just on the borders of my own mind. The fear that, if Edward was unable to keep his control or things became too unbearable, the Cullens would have no other choice but to leave Forks altogether.

 

It was a selfish fear, I know, to worry about the coven moving away and leaving my brothers and I alone. We had come to know the vampires so well, they had become so immersed with our family, it was difficult to think about the day when they would leave, when they _had_ to leave, to keep the humans from growing suspicious of their eternal youth. It was a day we often tried not to think about, but had to, especially when faced with such a situation as this one. We didn’t want to have to say goodbye to them and always remain wolves in sheep’s clothing to hide among the flock by ourselves. There wasn’t anyone who understood us as well as the Cullens did, nor anyone we felt quite as comfortable being ourselves around as we did when we hung out with the vamps.

 

 _(That might be true, but you’ve got to think about Bella’s safety, too.)_ A quiet voice whispered from the back of my mind; I frowned to myself at the thought and sighed quietly, feeling torn. The Cullens were my family just as much as Bella was, but…being so fragile, so… _human_ like she was, I knew I had to take greater care to ensure my stepsister would stay safe, that she would be able to make it out of this quiet little town in one piece, just as she’d been when she’s first arrived. Mama looked out for her as the surrogate mother she was while Bella was under her care, but I was the oldest out of the four of us, so it was my responsibility to look out for my younger siblings, no matter what. I had to watch Bella’s back, especially in matters she wasn’t even aware of. Matters that were dangerous to her in any way, shape, or form. _(It would crush Charlie if anything were to happen to Bella…and I can’t do that to him, either, not after everything he’s done for us…)_

 

These thoughts plagued me during my whole brainstorming session with Esme, carrying into our discussion with Alice and Edward when they returned home from school while the rest of the Cullen ‘children’, evidently already bored with the conversation, wandered off to occupy themselves elsewhere. At one point, Esme suggested I talk to Mr. Banner about allowing Edward and I to switch seats in class to allow for some space between Bella and I since he hadn’t been able to convince Ms. Cope about switching his class. I remembered thinking about that the previous week after Edward and Bella’s first meeting but hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to our teacher about it yet and started to tell her I would give it a try when Edward pointed out Mr. Banner wasn’t likely to go for something like that so late into the school year. He was a creature of habit and wouldn’t want to change anything after getting used to it, even if it was something as minor as allowing students to change seats.

 

Then again, if he did go for it, the other students would start to complain about us getting ‘special treatment’ and want to change their seats around, too…not to mention if Bella grew suspicious, especially if I tried to use her as an excuse for why we were switching things around…more than likely she’d think it was because of something she did and end up kicking up some kind of fit about it. Especially after the good impression he had tried to make with her today.

 

 _(Urgh…)_ I ran my hands down my face, feeling my body sag warily as I was parked just outside our house, _(There’s just no pleasing everyone, is there…?)_ With a tired sigh, I slid out of my car, grabbing my messenger bag from the passenger seat before trudging up to the porch; warm light spilled out from behind the curtains in the living room, cutting through the gloomy evening air as the rain fell from the veil of clouds overhead in little icy sheets. I ducked onto the porch to escape the sting of the needle like raindrops and let myself into the house just as mama called everyone into the dining room for dinner. _(I’ll have to tell mama about this when I get the chance…maybe she’ll have some kind of idea as to what we should do about it…)_

 

Thankfully for me, mama had some laundry she needed to get done after dinner, so I volunteered to join her in the basement and filled her in on the situation once we were alone. She was proud when I told her Edward had been able to keep a hold of his self-control, although there had been a few minutes at the end of class when things had been dicey, which we hadn’t even known about until I’d talked to Alice outside the science building. Just like me, mama had faith in Edward’s ability to resist his urges, although there was a side of us that worried for Bella’s safety, too, which, unfortunately, did little in way of helping us come up with new ideas on how help him get through this dilemma. She mentioned, again, about my and Edward switching seats as a way of putting a barrier between the two and I told her of the problems that would cause with Mr. Banner and the rest of the class, but she reminded me that there was absolutely no harm in trying, especially if it meant the difference between life and death.

 

I sighed at the irony of that statement and finished helping her with the laundry before heading upstairs to the attic to start on my homework. It was a welcome distraction from the seemingly overwhelming problems that encroached from all sides, giving my brain at least a couple hours to relax and breath while the dust settled. It wouldn’t be until after I’d had my evening shower and I’d gotten myself ready for bed that I would allow myself the chance to reflect on it all before I fell asleep.

 

 _(At this point, there’s only so much we would be able to do…)_ I stared up at the darkened rafters overhead, the heavy drumming of the rain on the roof muffled against the beat of the Nickelback song that flowed through my headphones. I shifted under the covers to get comfortable, lacing my fingers together against my pillow and resting my head back against them, _(Either he is going to have to leave alone, with the rest of the Cullens…)_ My chest tightened at the thought and my ears pressed down against the top of my head, my tail curling tight around my waist, _(Or I can **try** to talk to Mr. Banner about our seats being switched…)_ I frowned to myself as my eyes slid closed, already getting the feeling I knew how _that_ particular conversation was going to go. Mama’s voice whispered from the confines of my mind, reminding me there was no harm in trying, making me sigh again as I rolled into the center of the bed, onto my side, my iPod sliding from it’s place on my stomach onto the comforter beside me.

_(No harm in trying, huh?)_ I slowly opened my eyes again, taking in the pattern on one of my pillows before my gaze slid to the darkened window, watching the rain splatter endlessly against the glass; was Edward out there in this weather now, roaming those darkened woods in search of more animals to placate his thirst, gorging himself again in preparation for another meeting with Bella in school tomorrow? I wouldn’t be surprised, considering how overboard he’d went over the weekend just to see her again today, why should tonight be any different? _(And yet, even with all this preparation, his control still hangs by just a thread…)_ My knees curled up toward my chest, pressing my iPod into my midsection as my fist clenched on the pillow, _(Edward….I know you’re strong and stubborn as all hell, but…where are we going to go from here…?)_

 

Even as I asked myself that question somewhere, deep in my gut, I had a feeling I already knew the answer. The answer, I hoped, would turn out to be wrong.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

To say I didn’t get a lot of sleep would be an understatement; with the constant worry about our situation at hand, my brain was very reluctant to shut off that night, which I spent mostly stewing in my own thoughts, trying to figure out different solutions or ways in which Edward and his family wouldn’t be forced to have to leave. There was still very little I could come up with aside from the ideas Esme and mama had presented me with the day before, which still remained the best we could think of by the time I dragged myself out of bed at sunrise the following morning.

 

 _(Boy am I lucky demons and vampires don’t need a lot of sleep to be able to function properly…)_ I thought, grateful to both supernatural sides of myself for the ability to go days without sleep without any of the negative effects that humans usually suffered, especially ill-tempers. _(I need to have all my wits about myself, especially on a day like today…)_ My gaze drifted toward the abnormally clear window, watching the growing light filter into the room in grayish-green beams. The melted snow and rain from the day before had all frozen, forming a thin layer of ice over anything and everything in sight, including all the pine needs and leaves that still decorated the trees, causing naturally beautiful patterns among the canopies. _(_ _Hm…I’m gonna have to keep a close eye on Bella today…even when the ground is safe and dry she still finds a way to hurt herself...)_

 

Mama and Charlie were the only other ones in the house who were awake by the time I headed downstairs; since mama was in tune with nature, she'd known that the temperature would drop to such a degree that whatever remained of the snow from yesterday combined with the rain would create the glass like layer of ice that now decorated everything outside, so she and Charlie had agreed to get up early, so they could go out and put snow chains on all our tires. They were just pulling on their boots to head out into the early morning light when I joined them downstairs, surprising the pair of them since they thought none of us kids would be awake, but they seemed grateful when I offered an extra pair of hands to help with the snow chains. They ended up declining the offer, though, telling me to stay inside where it was warm while they took care of it, insisting they would be able to handle it; when I tried to convince them I would be okay, mama pointed out someone needed to make something warm for breakfast and persuaded me to make the special oatmeal we saved for cold days like these. I sighed, conceding, and headed into the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone.

 

Our family’s version of having oatmeal was not much different from anyone else’s, although our little secret was how we mixed things in. Like other families, we did enjoy the addition of cinnamon and fruits in our oatmeal, and we found there was more flavor to be had if we blended the fruit slices into a lumpy kind of juice and added it into the oatmeal instead of just adding them directly. It was something we didn’t do often, since the blender was notoriously noisy; no matter how large our house was, having occupants with super sensitive hearing did little in the way of helping with privacy. Mama’s hearing was sensitive enough to pick up what I was doing in my room even from the confines of the basement…with _three_ floors between us. Not what I would call an invasion of privacy considering we couldn’t always control it, it could still be something of an inconvenience, especially when my siblings and I had guests over. It didn’t help mama always paid special attention to the happenings around the house when we had a member of the opposite sex visiting, to keep us from doing anything we weren’t supposed to be doing…even when I just had Jacob or one of our friends over, just because they were boys…I couldn’t even keep count of how many times she would question me about not making a move after Jacob had come to hang out, which would inevitably turn into a teasing fest as Henry joined in, with the occasional remark from either Geoffrey or Charlie.

e

I shook the embarrassing memories away, sighing to myself as I finished making up the oatmeal and blended the fruit while mama and Charlie came in from taking care of our cars; by now, I could hear the unmistakable sounds of Bella and the twins going about their usual morning routine of getting ready for school and knew they would be down soon. Neither of our parents, however, had enough time to do much else aside from grab their keys and whatever else they needed for work before they headed off for the day, although mama did stop long enough to grab the thermoses of strawberry, blueberry, and cherry oatmeal I’d made up for her and Charlie, reminding me to have a good day and look out for Bella. I nodded after her with a smile, telling my parents I loved them as the front door closed behind them while my siblings came down for breakfast, the twins sniffing appreciatively at the air as they came in, their eyes lighting up when they landed on the meal I’d laid out on the table. Bella was a little slower to respond, although an entertained smile did tug at the corners of her lips as our younger brothers raced each other to the table, elbowing and pushing one another to reach it first.

 

“Dunno if you like oatmeal, Bells, but if you don’t, I can grab you a box of cereal from the pantry.” I told her from where I leaned against the counter by the sink, enjoying the mixed flavor of the strawberry/banana combo I’d added to my own bowl. She glanced sideways at me, shaking her head slowly as she walked toward the table to claim her own share of food; I cocked my head as I watched her, noticing the anxiously excited bounce in her walk as she crossed the kitchen, my eyebrow arching in question, wondering what could possibly have given her such pep in her step. She had never had such energy and enthusiasm when she’d visited us here in Forks before, so to see such a thing now was astonishing, to say the least.

 

 _(Then again, she’s never had a handsome vampire in her life before this, has she?)_ I hummed to myself as I finished my oatmeal and turned toward the sink to start on the dishes, absentmindedly listening to Henry and Geoffrey arguing at the table. I glanced at my siblings out of the corner of my eye, taking note of Bella’s absence in the conversation, her gaze on the window as she ate her breakfast with a far off, dreamy look in her eyes. My eyebrow rose once more as I watched her, feeling a corner of my lips twitch up in amusement, _(Hmm…things are getting to be quite interesting around here, aren’t they…? I wonder how things will go if Edward and Bella ended up liking each other?)_ My gaze lowered back to my hands, that tight feeling I’d carried in my chest all night growing lighter at the thought, even as a voice nagged at the back of my mind, warning against it. While I was happy knowing Edward could have possibly found that piece of himself he’d been missing all these years, I knew there was still a very real danger for my stepsister, especially considering she was Edward’s singer. She was still only human, fragile in comparison to the invincibility of a supernatural creature like a vampire…if Edward wasn’t careful, if he allowed his self-control to slip for even a single second when he was with her… I couldn’t always be there to protect her from him…I couldn’t be lurking nearby every second of the day to make sure things went smoothly…

 

 _(Ugh, just thinking about it gives me a headache…)_ I groaned to myself, feeling a headache throb around my temples, _(This isn’t the beginning of the 20 th century anymore, it’s not like Bella and Edward need a chaperon at all times to keep them from doing anything they’re not supposed to before they get married. This is the 21st century, damn it, and I know Edward has the self-control to be with her. I have to trust him.)_ I glanced over my shoulder at Bella again, frowning quietly to myself, _(For both their sake…I want them to be happy and trying to keep them apart is only going to make them miserable. They’ve both suffered enough up until this point and it’s time they were both happy. They deserve it.)_

 

I finished cleaning the dishes before Bella had finished her breakfast, wiping my mouth and hands on one of the dish towels before hanging it up to dry again as I glanced at the clock. It was only about twenty after six now…maybe I should head outside to see how bad the ice was and check the snow chains before Bella and I had to leave for school. I wanted to try to clear at least the front steps and the path leading to the driveway to make it easier on my stepsister when we had to leave.

 

“Hey, I’m gonna head outside first to see how things are looking.” I walked around the kitchen island, grabbing my messenger bag from where I’d left it in one of the chairs set up on the other side. I turned to look at Bella, who had looked up from her food, looking ready to start shoveling the reminder of it down her throat. I shook my head at her, “Don’t rush, Bells, we still have time before we have to leave. Just finish your food, slowly,” I quirked a brow to emphasize the order as I spoke, “I just want to make sure it’s safe. Henry, Geoffrey, be careful when you leave for the bus, okay?”

 

“We’re not going to drive them?” Bella frowned in concern, glancing at our younger brothers as they nodded absent-mindedly after me, still too immersed in their breakfast to do much else. “Everything out there is covered in ice, that can’t be safe…we should at least –“

 

“We’ll be fine, Bella.” Geoffrey waved away her concern, looking up from his meal as he spoke, “We’ve seen plenty of winters in Forks to know how to get around when its’ icy. Besides, if we left now, we’d be waiting out there for an extra half hour in the cold.”

 

“Not that we’d have any difficulty staying warm, not with how _hot_ I am.” Henry grinned around his mouthful of oatmeal, a playful glint in his eyes; Geoffrey rolled his eyes, unimpressed, as Bella turned to regard our younger brother with an expression of mildly amused concern, her eyebrows pulling together over her eyes. I coughed into my hand to stifle my laughter at the joke, both at how cheesy he sounded and the hidden weight behind it, knowing it would go completely over Bella’s head and continue to do so until she was let in on our little secret.

 

Unlike vampires, demons were all born gifted with a pair of abilities, which, more often than not, were tangent on the powers their parents had themselves. Mama was connected with nature and could manipulate the environment around her telekinetically, so my brothers and I each had control of one of the elements, depending on each of our personalities. Henry was hot-headed and almost physically on par with Emmett, so he controlled the element of fire; Geoffrey was quieter, more level-headed like Charlie and Bella, preferring to keep his feet firmly on the ground, so he controlled the element of earth, although he’d picked up a mental ability of his own from mama, so he could read the minds of others, like Edward; and as for me –

 

“The boys will be fine, Bells, they know to be careful when they leave the house on days like this.” I smile reassuringly at my stepsister as Geoffrey kicked Henry under the table to tell him to go easier on the jokes, making him almost spill his orange juice. “Besides, it’d be better to let them stay inside where it’s warm than force them to go out in the cold when they don’t need to. Now, finish your oatmeal and I’ll meet you outside, okay? You two,” I looked at the twins, “Have a good day, and stay out of trouble.”

 

“Can’t make any promises.” Henry called after me as I left the kitchen and headed for the front door; shaking my head, I pulled on my jacket and boots, slinging my messenger bag across my body as I grabbed my keys from the bowl in the living room and headed outside. Closing the outer pair of doors firmly behind me so Bella wouldn’t be able to take me by surprise, I crossed the porch to the screen door, allowing my gaze to drift out over the frosted grass to the edge of the trees, slowly inhaling what little moisture was left in the air into my lungs. Bolts of energy spread from my lungs outward, crackling through my veins like lightning until my whole body was practically humming; my eyes lowered to the front steps and the walkway leading to the driveway, watching the weak morning light dance over the shiny white frost that blanketed the ground, only disturbed by the two pairs of footprints and the tire tracks our parents had left behind when they’d headed off for work.

 

My eyes scanned the small breaks among the white, taking in the sight off the deceptively beautiful ice hidden underneath as the tingling in my veins grew stronger, vibrating strongly from the ends of my fingers as I raised my right hand, flexing my fingers, ever so slightly; the shift of the hardened, crystalized water would not be easily noticeable to anyone looking in from the outside, but for me, I could literally feel as the element bent to my will, changing from a solid to a liquid as easily as though it had melted naturally. I brought my hand up before me, stopping it just about chest height and made a wide, sweeping motion to the right, away from my body; as I did so, the liquified ice/snow parted like the red sea, disappearing among the frost that iced the lawn, leaving the front steps, walkway, and driveway clear.

 

I’d been gifted with the ability to control water, which came in very handy in a damp environment like the one found here in Forks, although my powers were never used beyond helping with minor inconveniences like clearing away ice or snow, unless someone in the house had an accident. If it wasn’t anything too serious or life threatening, I would use my abilities to heal any physical injury my family acquired, and we would be okay. I’d certainly saved all of us plenty of trips to the hospital when my brothers had gotten themselves into trouble as kids and when Bella would visit during the summer.

 

“Dawn?” Speak of the devil, “What are you doing?”

 

I turned at my stepsister’s voice, noticing her arched eyebrow as joined me on the porch, lips pursed slightly in question; it took me a minute to realize I was still holding my arm out, stretched away from my body, as though I was holding something unpleasant as far from me as I possibly could. Thinking quickly, I bent my wrist, curling my fingers inward toward my palm as I twisted my forearm around and arched my back a little, my left arm curling in toward my body before stretching upward, toward the ceiling.

 

“Just stretching,” I hummed after a short, appreciative groan I emitted to add a bit of effect. Cracking my neck with a slow sigh, I dropped my arms back to my sides, my hands worming their way into my pockets as I turned to regard Bella once more, “You ready to go?”

 

Deep chocolate eyes appraised me skeptically, as though she knew I was lying and wanted, badly, to call me out on it, but something was holding her back from saying what she wanted to. After a few tense minutes, Bella finally gave a slow, thoughtful nod, closing the front door behind her before joining me at the screen door, pulling the hood of her jacket up to cover her head. I nodded in return, pointedly avoiding saying anything further as I opened the screen door and stepped out of the protection of our enclosed porch onto the front steps and down onto the path. Bella followed close behind me, her steps careful, slow, but stopped when she noticed our path ahead was clear of the icy snow that covered the rest of the outside world.

 

“How did…?” Bella’s wide eyes swept the, now clear, path and driveway before she redirected her gaze on me. I shrugged, nonchalant, and followed the bricked walkway toward where our cars were parked.

 

“It’s called rock salt, Bells, gotta keep plenty on hand just for days like these.” Pulling my keys out of my pocket as I spoke, I rounded the hood of my car and unlocked it, “Now c’mon, we don’t want to be late.”

 

Bella eyed the clear ground before her, furrowing her brows deeply as she crossed to the driveway and made her way around my car to her truck, her gaze flicking up to me as I climbed into the driver’s seat. I didn’t need to meet her gaze to see the unspoken questions burning in her mind, fighting and clawing to be the first one asked. She had never spent a winter here or anywhere else cold enough for a large culmination of snow or ice, so I had a pretty good feeling she knew what rock salt was, even if she didn’t exactly know what it _looked_ like. It would make sense our parents would salt the driveway and path to make it easier on us when we left for school, even if there was a lack of physical evidence to suggest it had been used. I should have known my stepsister would be too smart not to notice.

 

“Hey, I’m sure Edward is already at school,” I peeked up at Bella, cutting her off as she opened her mouth to voice her concerns aloud; color flooded her cheeks and I could almost swear I heard her heart skip a beat at his name. I had to fight to keep the smirk that threatened to overtake my lips at bay, “We wouldn’t want to keep him waiting, would we?”

 

Scowling darkly, Bella hurried around the hood of her truck to the drivers’ side, slamming her door shut behind her as an amused chuckle escaped my lips. I shake my head and pull my other leg into my Camry, closing the door behind me before reaching back to fasten my seat belt and start her up. If things continued the way I thought they were going to, it really was to be getting quite interesting around here very soon; I was looking forward to seeing how things panned out and hoped Bella and Edward would be able to be happy together in the near future.

 

 _(There are still obstacles in the way, so we’re going to have to be patient.)_ I sighed at the quiet voice that nagged at the back of my mind as I led the way toward school, keeping at a safe, careful speed so Bella wouldn’t feel like she needed to try to keep up and to prevent an accident; even with the snow chains on my tires, it was still dangerous to drive too fast on roads with black ice and I would really rather arrive at my destination in one piece, thank you very much. No need to give either of our parents a heart attack when Charlie had to be one of the officers on scene and mama would have to see one of us brought into the hospital on a stretcher. Talk about a parent’s worst nightmare come true…

 

Thankfully for us, with the snow chains keeping us from losing control and my and my stepsister’s overly cautious driving, we pulled safely into the school drive and parked in a couple of spots in a corner of the lot together. The pavement underfoot was still slick with ice, so we were both careful as we climbed out of our cars, Bella taking extra care to test her footing on each step before she proceeded cautiously, one hand holding the truck bed in a near death grip.

 

I closed my door behind me, reaching out to use the other side of her truck for balance as I caught the two pairs of golden eyes watching us from four cars away; I smiled in greeting and raised a hand to wave at Alice and Edward, the smaller of whom returned my smile while her brother’s focus was entirely on the figure across the truck bed from me. I cocked my head, bemused, as I took in the tender, bemused expression on Edward’s face as he watched Bella, a faint smile tugging up the corners of his lips. He looked, oddly, peaceful in that moment, yet still agitated and on edge, as though impatient. Contradictory emotions, I know, but they were there, even if it seemed strange they would be displayed on the same face, at the same moment. The face of a man internally at odds with himself, still trying to figure out his own emotions after having found the missing piece of himself he hadn’t known he’d been looking for, too afraid to go for it, even though it was held out tantalizingly before him, just within his reach.

 

“Dawn?” Bella’s voice drew my attention away from the vampires and I turned to face her again, cocking my head curiously; I was almost surprised at the tender expression on her face, her eyes wide, glassy, as though she was fighting back tears, voice strained despite her best efforts to clear it, so she could speak. She indicated to something I couldn’t quite see, even though I had a pretty good idea she’d just pointed to one of her back tires. “Did…did you -?”

 

My expression softened in understanding at the unfinished question, guessing seeing what mama and Charlie had done for her had caught her by surprise; Bella had always been mature and handled a lot of the responsibilities at home when she lived with Renee, so she wasn’t quite used to being the one taken care of, in any kind of situation. No doubt seeing the efforts our parents had put in to making sure she stayed safe on an icy day like this one had taken her by surprise. Good, then maybe she would be able to understand just how much she meant to all of us and maybe let down some of her walls.

 

“Nah, that wasn’t me.” I moved carefully along the truck bed, keeping one hand on the side to help with my balance, “Mama and Charlie wanted to be –“

 

A loud, earsplitting screech filled the parking lot then, cutting off my words as the noise reverberated painfully in my ears, piercing my eardrum at such a frequency it made me flinch; my head jerked around instinctively to find the source, my ears pressing down invisibly against the top of my head as the noise grew closer, pitching to a near torturous note that made all the hair on my body stand on end.

 

The world around me became completely secondary in that moment, shapes and colors melting together into nothing more than a fast moving, indistinguishable blur of movement and faint, unintelligible sounds. Even the deafening screech became little more than background noise to my overtly sensitive ears, which had immediately perked as what was happening registered in my brain.

 

In that split second of time, I became aware of one thing and one thing only: the dark blue van that was skidding uncontrollably across the lot, it’s tires locked and squealing as the slick ice sent it spinning wildly…right toward the back corner of my stepsister’s truck and –

 

“Bella!” Her name burst from my lips on a scream, my eyes stretching wide as my heart almost froze in my chest; something broke through the backdrop of shapeless colors and noises that surrounded us on all other sides, a white and black blur that collided with Bella from the left, knocking her out of the path of the van a split second before it curled around her back bumper, the metal crunching as it bent to the shape of the older vehicles indestructible frame. The van didn’t stop there, though, twisting around the back of the truck to arch around it’s side, in the direction Bella and her savior had, momentarily, escaped.

 

My fingertips tingled as I launched myself over the truck bed without thinking, landing in a crouch on the other side next to where Bella lay on the icy pavement, thrusting my hands forward to catch the oncoming vehicle. I was barely aware of the ice that had encrusted my fingertips and nails before they were embedded deeply into the body of the van, just alongside the right front tire, as my attention was drawn to the pair of slender, snow white hands that had left a dent further along the frame. I didn’t have to look up to know who those hands belonged to as the pair of us were too focused on keeping the van from advancing further toward the fragile human we were trying to protect, the force of which pushed us backward into the body of the car parked on the other side of the truck; pain crackled through my shoulders and back where it came into contact with the tan frame, nerves screaming in protest as it bent to my shape. The van shuddered under our unyielding grip as we held it partially off the ground, balancing it unsteadily between us and the two furthest tires.

 

A low, almost undetectable sound drew my attention toward the vampire beside me and my eyes met his warm, liquid butterscotch irises for the briefest of seconds before I moved my gaze over to where he was looking, noticing my stepsister’s legs were directly in the path of the back, passenger side tire, glancing back to let him know I understood. He gave a single, quick nod, pressing his arms deeper into the van’s body as I shifted myself around, extracting my fingers from the metal so I could wrap my arms around Bella’s waist and haul her toward me as I plopped myself down onto the cold pavement. Her body moved limply with me and I frowned quietly, wondering if she’d hit her head and been knocked unconscious as I heard his silent sigh of relief when her legs were moved out of the way of danger and he released the van, too, letting it fall back onto all four tires with a crash that shattered every last window.

 

In that short stretch of time, as the reality of what had happened sunk in, I allowed myself the chance to assess the situation happening in the tiny space I was sitting in with my stepsister and the vampire. My breath left me in quick, panicked spurts, my heart loud in my ears as it continued to pump adrenaline throughout the rest of my body, my focus immediately on the two who were here with me. Edward had turned to Bella and I now, his eyes stretched wide in panic themselves as he looked at her, fear and anxiety warring for dominance just underneath the surface. He leaned down for a look at Bella’s face, checking to see if she was conscious as the sound of people screaming alerted me once more to the outside world, a variety of different voices screaming Bella’s name, talking all at once, throwing out ideas of what needed to be done now. I ignored the chaos outside our own little private bubble, however, finding it unimportant at this moment as I returned my attention to Bella, who was now attempting to push herself out of my hold, so she could sit up on her own.

 

Although not quite ready to release her yet, I loosened my grip on her, frowning deeply as Edward put an arm on her back, as though ready to pull her protectively into him instead, his expression calmer now, more relieved, but still anxious, “Be careful, Bella,” he warned her in a quiet, cautious voice, “I think you hit your head pretty hard.”

 

Bella shifted in protest, then winced in pain, lifting a hand to hover over a spot above her left ear, “Ow,” she muttered in reply, blinking in surprise as she realized he’d been right. His expression lightened further, relief more evident in his features as I let out a slow sigh, just relieved to know she was still breathing. I put a hand gently over hers’, moving it aside to carefully move her hair so I could examine the area myself, grateful in knowing there wasn’t the scent of fresh blood on the air. The last thing we needed was Edward to smell something like that and go into a frenzy, especially right now.

 

“How did….?” Bella’s voice trailed off as she slowly shook her head, as though trying to clear it, her gaze sliding from Edward to me, “How did the two of you get here so quick…?”

 

My body tensed as I met Bella’s quizzical stare, my eyebrows pulling together anxiously as my gaze flickered over to meet Edward’s, whose expression soured, face puckering as though he’d just sucked on a lemon. Anxiety and fear returned to his face, his eyes darkening with it as he’d realized what I had.

 

“Bella, we were both standing next to you.” He told her in a smooth, but serious voice, willing her to believe him. She frowned at him, then glanced at me, as though searching for a confirmation; I smiled gently back at her, nodding my head quietly in agreement, allowing her to wiggle out of my hold this time as we all shifted to get a little more comfortable in the limited space, even though I knew it was unnecessary for Edward. He slid as far from Bella as he could, not allowing any contact as I made sure she would be okay, even as she returned her attention to him. He kept eye contact, arranging his features into an innocently concerned mask, his eyes soft, persuasive, as he willed her to accept his lie. I silently prayed she would melt under the normally convincing stare, just like other humans did, but I should have known better….Bella was sometimes too stubborn and observant for her own good.

 

The screaming of those who had witnessed the accident had now become background noise, drowned out by closer voices shouting at us through the cracks between the vehicles to see us; the crowd mostly consisted of other students, the more curious teens pushing their way to the front in an effort to see the aftereffects of the accident, some hopeful at the thought of seeing a mangled body. Authoritative voices filtered in through the mayhem, barking orders to one another and our classmates, at us, not to move. I heard one of the teachers shouting for someone to help Tyler out of his van. Bella, distracted by the crowd, glanced around with her eyes still wide in shock as she started to get to her feet.

 

Edward and I instinctively reached out to stop her, each of us putting a hand on her shoulder.

 

“You should stay put for now,” Edward told her gently, earning a frown in return, Bella’s eyebrows pulling together as she folded her arms before her, shivering.

 

“But it’s cold.” She protested childishly, pressing her lips into a thin, white line, causing a low, strained chuckle escape from between his teeth. I glanced at him quietly, knowing now wasn’t exactly the time to be laughing, even though I could understand what could have possibly amused him in that moment; who in the world would be worrying about the cold when they’d just narrowed escaped death not once but _twice_ , not to mention coming within inches of being crippled within the time frame of just a few minutes.

 

Shaking my head, I unzipped my jacket and shrugged out of it, wrapping it around Bella’s slender frame; she barely seemed to notice, blinking slowly as she observed her surroundings for a second before turning her attention on Edward, “You were over there…” She gestured vaguely in the direction she’s seen him before the accident, our sight obscured by the hulking body of the van, “You were by your car…and Dawn, she was…” she looked back, toward her truck, remembering I’d been standing on the other side of it.

 

“Bella, Edward was right here with us.” I told my stepsister gently, trying to be consoling without making her feel like I was patronizing her, “And it doesn’t take long to run around a car.”

 

“But you didn’t run.” Bella frowned at me, her lips pressing together stubbornly, making her chin gut out, her voice taking on a whiny, childlike quality, like a little kid trying to convince an adult their imaginary friend was real, “You just…appeared…and I saw you,” She turned back to Edward, whose expression had hardened now.

 

“Bella, listen to your sister, I was standing with you.” He widened his eyes, just a fraction, trying to be compelling again, “I pulled you out of the way.”

 

“I know that part.” Bella glowered at him, setting her jaw, “But you were nowhere near me.”

 

His eyes blazed and I could tell he was fighting back the panic welling up inside him at her refusal to just accept his explanation, even though it was, technically, the only logical one on the table. He kept her gaze, though, knowing breaking eye contact was a rookie mistake when it came to lying, although I could feel a cold hand clamp down around my wrist, squeezing tight, a quiet plea for help. He needed someone else to back him up on this, he needed someone else on his side to be able to convince Bella our lie was truth, help him cover his tracks…well…both of ours, really, if we were being truthful. We’d both taken a huge risk just now when we’d thrown ourselves in the path of danger to keep Bella alive, not just putting ourselves on the line by risk of exposure, but also our families. Not only did we need to convince Bella to keep her mouth shut, but we also had to find a way to cover up any and all evidence we might have left behind that could make anyone else suspicious of what had gone on here.

 

“Please, Bella.” Edward whispered in an intense voice, his gaze boring into hers’, desperate for her to just _trust_ him.

 

“Why?” Bella demanded, suddenly defensive as she narrowed her eyes on him. I put my free hand on her shoulder, gently drawing her attention now.

 

“Bella, please, trust us, we know what we’re talking about.” I told her, my voice still gentle, giving her a compelling look of my own; she frowned back at me, pursing her lips, still not willing to let this lie as she turned to regard Edward again, but I squeezed her shoulder tight, keeping her attention, “Please, Bella.” She pinned me with a deep, piercing gaze, her eyes narrowing as she scanned mine, searching for the deception she could sense lurked just behind my gentle, calming tone, hiding away the secrets she was searching for.

 

“Promise you’ll explain everything to me later?” She finally said after a long pause, crossing her arms stubbornly; I did my best to keep my expression gentle, calm, as I nodded, conceding, for now. I would have to come up with something to tell Bella when we home, since I knew she would, more than likely, try to corner me when we were alone. She turned to regard Edward again and I kicked him behind her, making him turn from where he was trying to fix the dents in the tan car behind us. “And you?”

 

Edwards face scrunched at the question, pursing his lips tightly in exasperation at Bella’s unrelenting questions as he snapped at her, “Fine.”

 

“Fine.” She returned in the same hard tone.

 

Edward used away from us, carefully arranging his features into a calm mask; I sighed deeply, sensing his discomfort and anxiety with the entire situation as I glanced up to where Tyler’s van was being moved out of the way by a half dozen men in the EMT apparel and a couple of our teachers – Mr. Varner and Coach Clapp – so they could bring in the stretchers. I could hear the ambulance and police sirens nearby, blaring across the parking lot, red and blue lights emphasizing the situation as officers were pushing the crowd back to allow the EMTs more room to work. I let my gaze sweep past the adults, searching the surrounding crowd, which I knew Edward was already looking through, mentally, to ensure none of them were questioning our presence. So far, I didn’t see any suspicion in any of our classmates faces, only the typically shocked, worried expressions, although I could spot a few curious looks among the crowd, peering around for a better look at us, still trying to see if any of us had been wounded during the accident. There wasn’t anything in any of their faces that suggested they suspected more than Edward and I being in the right place at the right time. All right, so that just left having to convince Bella and –

 

An icy shiver rolled down my spine when my eyes landed on the four vampires hovering just outside the swarm of chaos, observing from a safe distance on a piece of sidewalk that wasn’t swarmed. Alice still looked completely calm, if not a bit thoughtful, her head cocked the slightest bit to the side; Emmett was frowning, but didn’t look angry, but rater surprised and a tad bit disappointed; Jasper kept a cool, collected mask tight over his features, but his arms were crossed, eyes narrowed into dangerous black slits; Rosalie looked the most furious out of the four, her own arms crossed tight over her chest, full lips pressed into a thin, white line and her dark eyes ablaze, a tigress baring her fangs, reading for an attack. Oh man was it going to be one hell of a night after all this was over…

 

“Dawn?” A gruff voice drew my attention to the first EMT who had reached us, kind blue eyes peering worriedly out at me from a frowning, bristled face; I smiled reassuringly at the male nurse, Brett Warner, who worked at the hospital with mama and Carlisle, grateful for a familiar, friendly face. It seemed a stroke of luck he would be the first to reach us in the chaos, knowing he would look out for Edward and I since he knew us so well. He wouldn’t force us onto a stretcher if he was convinced neither of us needed it, even as he appraised the two of us critically now for ant sign of injury, “You hurt at all?”

 

I shook my head, keeping the gentle smile on my face, “No, I’m fine, Brett, thank you, nothing touched Edward or I.” I put a gentle hand on Bella’s back, my expression taking on a tone of worry, “But, you know, I think Bella might have gotten hurt.”

 

Edward nodded his head in agreement, “I thought I heard her head hit the ice when I pulled her out of the way.”

 

Brett immediately turned his attention on my stepsister, who shot Edward and I a piercing glare of betrayal for ratting her out like that; I didn’t meet her gaze, though, knowing she was going to murder me later on for signaling her out when she hated to be the center of attention, in any kind of situation, and turned my attention to a second EMT insisting on looking me over as a third was speaking to Edward. Thankfully for both of us, we were able to get away by promising we would get ourselves checked over by our parents; hell, we simply had to say mama and Carlisle’s names and they backed off, since both of them were the best residents in the hospital. Bella was not so lucky, though, as she was loaded onto a stretcher sporting a neck brace, her face an embarrassed cherry red. I took advantage of the distraction to glance behind me, inconspicuously scanning the back bumper of the tan car for any dents Edward or I could have left behind before I allowed him to lead me away, after the EMTs, him whispering Emmett would be double checking for anything he could have missed. I sighed, grateful for that as he held the passenger side door of the ambulance Bella was being loaded into and climbed into the seat beside me while Brett took the wheel.

 

“Bella!” The familiar voice at the back of the ambulance drew my attention and I turned back, spotting Charlie running up from just out of sight, his eyes wide, scared, when he saw her on the stretcher. I shifted to climb over the seat, making my way closer as Bella looked up at him, his eyes growing wider in panic when he spotted me in the vehicle as well.

 

“We’re all right, dad.” I smiled reassuringly at him, even as his eyes quickly scanned over the both of us, looking for any other sign of wounds, his concern practically emanating from every pore. “Bella just bumped her head a little.”

 

Pain shot up my arm where Bell’s hand came into contact, smacking me, hard, with her palm so it sounded like I’d just been slapped. I winced and put a hand over the wounded area, turning my gaze on her as Charlie had gone to demand answers from another EMT close by. She pinned me with an icy glare as the ambulance door closed behind us, another EMT crouching down by her feet. I rubbed my arm, more for show than an actual need to sooth away any kind of sting.

 

“Geeze, that’s the thanks I get for saving your life? Thanks, Bells.” I said, a hint of sarcasm in my voice as I frowned at her; she glowered back, pressing her lips tightly, but chose not to say anything as she shot the other EMT a glance, as though she didn’t want to say anything in front of him. I took the chance to return to the front seat as we were given a police escort to the hospital.

 

 _(She’s keeping to our story, for now.)_ I glanced at Edward out of the corner of my eye, knowing he would already be keeping a mental tally of the EMTs’ thoughts, to figure out Bella’s condition and find out just how deep we had dug ourselves in this situation. Even if my family decided we were going to include Bella in on our secret, I knew a situation like this one was dangerous for the Cullens, so much so that they would most definitely have to leave. My heart felt heavy at the thought. _(We’re going to need to talk to mama and Carlisle asap.)_

 

Edward glanced at me and gave a small nod of confirmation, subtle enough no one else would have been able to pick up on it aside from me. In the few years I’d come to know Edward and the rest of his family, we’d all learned ways to communicate with each other nonverbally, just for situations like these ones, when a human was too close to overhear us. Even if they couldn’t figure out what we were talking about, it was still too dangerous to include anyone else.

 

The ride to the hospital was short, only about a fifteen minute drive, although neither Edward nor I wasted any time; as soon as the vehicle was parked, we didn’t even pause long enough to make sure Bella was unloaded safely from the back, just hurried through the automatic doors in the back into the plain, sterile white halls inside. Edward, able to recognize his father’s mental voice from such a short distance, naturally took the lead to his office, several wings away from the emergency room. Luckily for us, mama was there with him; she rushed to my side as soon as we entered, ushering me into a chair as she started fretting over me.

 

“What’s happened?” Mama looked from me to Edward, who had promptly closed the office door behind us, leaning heavily into it with his eyes closed; Carlisle peered at him closely, frowning deeply at the strained emotions on his face. “ Was it -?”

 

“No…it wasn’t anything like that.” Edward shook his head slowly, opening his eyes to show the two adults that they were still a rich gold in color; the pair seemed to relax, mama sighing in relief as Carlisle frowned apologetically. I rubbed mama’s arm gently, frowning.

 

“Bella has been hurt, though, she’s here.” I got to my feet, knowing mama wouldn’t push to keep me sitting if she knew I was okay, “In the emergency room, but we don’t know how serious it is….”

 

“What’s happened?” Carlisle furrowed his brow, an attractive wrinkle appearing over the bridge of his nose as he looked between Edward and I. Edward took a slow breath, filling his lungs, as though trying to pull his thoughts together.

 

“It was…this stupid car accident, she was just…in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I…I couldn’t just watch…couldn’t let it crush her…”

 

“Edward,” Mama put a gentle hand on his shoulder, giving him a soft, compelling look, “Just, relax, slow down, okay? We can’t understand when you’re rushing your words….”

 

“She’s right, son.” Carlisle told him gently, cocking his head as he looked at me, “Now, how are the two of you involved?”

 

I took a deep breath myself, letting it out slowly, “There was a van, at school, it skidded across the ice,” Edward had focused on a point on the wall behind Carlisle’s desk, staring intently at the simple oil painting he kept hanging there, an undiscovered piece by one of his favorite artists, Hassam. “Bella, she….she saw the snow chains and….she was just so grateful, she was standing there, by the back bumper…”

 

“Alice saw it coming.” Edward managed to speak, his voice low, rough, as though he was forcing it past his lips, “There wasn’t enough time to do anything except…except run across the lot to shove her out of the way…”

 

“Edward was the one who initially saved her, I just jumped in to keep the van from getting closer…” I sighed, deeply, looking at my fingers, the ice having melted away, leaving them just as they had been before, “No one else noticed us, except for Bella, she noticed we weren’t close enough before hand to be able to save her...”

 

“I’m sorry, Carlisle, it was my fault.” Edward hung his head, squeezing his eyes tightly, “I didn’t mean to put us all in danger…”

 

Mama looked gently at Edward, wrapping her arms tight around him in a warm hug as Carlisle got up from his desk, rounding it to put a gentle hand on his son’s arm, “You did the right thing, both of you.” He smiled gently at me, taking my hand in his cold one, squeezing tightly, “I know it couldn’t have been easy, but we’re proud, of both of you.”

 

“Very.” Mama pulled away from the hug to smile gently up at Edward, reaching up to cup his face and bring his forehead down to kiss it tenderly. He looked slowly at her, his eyes still tight, worried, as I bit my bottom lip, glancing between mama and Carlisle.

 

“She knows there’s something wrong….she knows there’s something…”

 

“You and your mother wanted her to know, right?” Carlisle looked at me compassionately; I sighed deeply, nodding, “yes, but not like this…and what about you guys?”

 

Mama nodded her head in agreement, frowning in concern, “Even if we wanted her to know our secret, we promised we wouldn’t let anyone else know yours’.”

 

Carlisle smiled reassuringly, rubbing my hand, “That doesn’t matter now…if we have to leave, we leave.” He sighed deeply at the sad frowns mama and I gave him at the thought of having to say goodbye to them, “But, for now, we should focus on the situation at hand. What has Bella said?”

 

“Nothing,” Edward shook his head, pressing his lips tightly in frustration, “Not yet, anyway.”

 

Carlisle quirked a neat eyebrow as mama furrowed hers’, as though she was confused.

 

“She’s agreed to our version of the story,” I told them gently, “At least for now, but…” I glanced at Edward as he crossed his arms, uneasy, “She’s expecting some kind of explanation…” Mama and Carlisle looked at one another thoughtfully, identical frowns on their lips.

 

“She hit her head when we fell…” Edward winced at the memory of it, “Well…I knocked her down fairly hard, but…with something like that, it should be easy to discredit her account.” His features twisted in disgust at his own words, as though the mere thought of it made him physically ill. Carlisle and mama gave him a gentle look, obviously hearing the distaste in his voice just as I had.

 

“Hm, maybe we won’t have to go down that route.” Mama told him gently, taking my other hand, squeezing softly as she looked at Carlisle, who nodded in agreement, smiling reassuringly.

 

“She’s right let’s see what happens, all right?” He put a hand on Edward’s shoulder, squeezing gently, “We’ll figure this out. Now,” he released both of us, his features softening into a more relaxed expression, “It sounds like we have a patient to check in on.”

 

“Please,” Edward begged, his voice strained, “I’m so worried I hurt her…”

 

Mama giggled softly, wrinkles appearing around the corners of her eyes as she smiled softly at him, squeezing his arm, “We’ll get right on it, Edward.” She promised, earning a chuckle of agreement from Carlisle, who nodded as he smoothed a few stray blond locks back into the body of his hair.

 

“Been quite the eventful day for the pair of you, hasn’t it?” He smiled softly, amused; I cocked my head a bit, thinking back on the days events as mama smiled, the irony not lost on either of us. It was quite amusing, seeing as how, in the span of a few minutes, Edward had gone from possibly being her killer to being her protector, instead.

 

Edward gave a low, edged chuckle, evidently understanding what we had, even though I was sure he still believed there was nothing Bella needed protection from more than himself.

 

Edward and I stayed behind in the office to allow our parents the chance to check in on the situation, although he kept a mental eye on what was going on through other hospital staff, keeping me up to date on what was happening. I sat back in the chair mama had ushered me into earlier, watching him pace as he told me minor details of the goings on in the bustling hospital around us.

 

It seems Tyler Crowley, who had been driving the van during the accident, had sustained the worst of the injuries, pulling the attention of the nurses from Bella to him as she waited to be x-rayed. Mama and Carlisle remained in the background to observe, trusting their PA’s diagnosis that her head injury was only minor, which pulled a relieved sigh from my lips and relieved some of the tension from Edward’s shoulders, although he continued his anxious pacing. At one point, Tyler engaged her in a conversation about the accident, apparently overcome with guilt over almost killing her; Edward reported he kept apologizing profusely, even though Bella’s expression clearly said she wished he would stop, the vampire’s face scrunching in irritation, as though he was completely blown away at how someone wouldn’t be able to read that.

 

Edward finally stopped pacing, however, his body snapping into a rigid posture as he stared at the door; I watched him closely, furrowing my brows, wondering for a second what was wrong when he whispered Tyler had asked how Bella had gotten out of the way so quickly. My ears perked in interest and I leaned forward, anxious now myself, as Edward had now stopped breathing.

 

After a tense minute, Edward exhaled before his breathing started coming in short, quick pulls, his face relaxing as an unconscious smile tugged up the corners of his lips, his eyes suddenly alight. I couldn’t help but quirk at brow at his expression, wondering what had made him so happy so quickly when he started toward the door, an unexpected skip in his step, which surprised me. I got up to follow him, closing the door behind us before hurrying after him down the hall; something in the conversation must have really peeked his interest, as Edward was now striding purposefully toward the ER, almost careless in his pace in his excitement to see her. I quickened my pace after him, worried about what could happen if he didn’t catch himself before he spoke to her again.

 

Catching up with the vampire just outside the doors, I grabbed his arm as a nurse walked in ahead of us, tugging firmly to pull him into a dark corner nearby as Bella was wheeled out for x-rays. Thankfully for us, she didn’t notice us watching from our hiding spot and I let out a relieved sigh, turning to frown at Edward now. He wasn’t watching me, though, his gaze too far off, as though he was lost in his own thoughts as he stared in the direction Bella had gone, differing emotions flickering across his features so fast it was difficult to pinpoint them in that moment. I frowned.

 

“Edward, what are you -?” He barely even gave me the chance to finish my sentence before he was moving again, gliding swiftly down a nearby hallway, a backway to the radiology room. I blinked slowly, confused for the briefest of seconds before I shook my head, “Hey! Don’t just ignore me! Edward!” I hissed lowly after him, knowing he from this distance he would be able to hear me; he didn’t turn or even acknowledge me as he rounded a corner out of sight, leaving me to purse my lips after him. “What in the hell just happened…?” I asked myself, reaching up to scratch behind one of my ears, now confused. Was there something I was missing here? Did I not get some kind of memo about the situation that we _needed_ to know?

 

“He’ll be back.” My mother had appeared beside me, now drawing my attention; she was smiling in the direction Edward had gone, obviously had been watching, before she turned to me, “I’m sure he’s just gone to peek in on Bella’s x-rays, to see if anything’s wrong.”

 

I frowned, glancing in the direction he had disappeared, “Nothing’s wrong, right?”

 

Mama shook her head, “Thankfully not, Bella doesn’t even have a concussion, thank goodness. More than likely it’s just going to be a little bump on the head, but nothing more. There are a lot of healed contusions on her skull, though…either Renee dropped her a lot or that girl is a lot clumsier than I first thought.”

 

I felt a stab of sympathy for Bella, knowing her life had been difficult up until this point and she’d always been clumsy, but damn…I never realized just how big a danger to herself she really was…I almost felt like, in that moment, we were talking more about a two-year-old just learning to walk than a nearly full grown, 17-year-old teenager…

 

“Is it all right to visit her?” I turned to my mother once more, who smiled gently in return, nodding, “Of course, she’s in well enough condition she could go home now, but, we need to wait for Carlisle to give the thumbs-up.” She indicated for me to follow and led the way into the ER; it was the typical long room lined with beds, each sectioned off with pastel-patterned curtains.

 

Bella and Tyler occupied the beds on the furthest end of the room; Bella leaned back into her pillow, lips pursed and eyes closed as she was trying to escape Tyler’s insistent apologizes from the next bed. I winced to myself as we drew closer, taking note of the bandages that adorned Tyler’s head and arms from where he’d been cut by the glass shattering in his van. The scent of fresh blood, an overpowering scent of heavily salted rust, assaulted my nose as soon as we entered the room.

 

Tyler looked up at our approach, his eyes wide when he saw me; he moved to sit up, opening his mouth to speak as mama hurried to lay him back once more, telling him he shouldn’t be moving. He barely acknowledged her, his wide eyed gaze still on my face, “Dawn, I am so sorry, are you -?”

 

“I’m fine, Tyler.” I gave him a gentle, patient smile, seeing he was still frazzled from the whole experience, “Just lay back and relax, okay? You look like you got messed up the most in this whole thing.”

 

Tyler’s brow was still frowned in concern as I turned to Bella, who’s eyes were now open as she glared at me. I did my best not to let the venomous look in her gaze make me uncomfortable, pulling a nearby chair closer to take a seat by the foot of her bed. No need to make her anymore suspicious than she already was, not when I was walking the razor’s edge as is.

 

“Hey.” Edward’s smooth voice arrived a second before he did as he strolled up leisurely, his head cocked, just the slightest bit in curiosity. I glanced up at him, seeing he was a lot more relaxed than he had been when he’d run off before, his expression calmer now, lips quirking again in a faint smile that lit up his honey eyes. I raised a brow, wondering if he’d gotten the chance to see Bella’s x-rays firsthand as she turned her glare on him. The springs on Tyler’s bed shifted again as he tried to sit up once more, turning to regard the other male.

 

“Edward –“

 

The vampire held up a hand to stop him from saying anything further, smiling reassuringly at the teen, “No blood, no foul, Tyler.” He told him sincerely, even as his voice held a wry note to it, his smile widening to reveal his straight white teeth; I gave him a look like ‘really?’ He shrugged in reply, still evidently amused as he took a seat on the edge of Tyler’s bed, facing Bella without being too close.

 

“So,” he smirked, crossing his arms in front of him, “What’s the verdict?”

 

Bella sniffed, her bottom lip pushing out in a little pout as she leaned irritably back into the pillow, “There isn’t anything wrong with me at all, but they won’t let me leave…” She eyed Edward and I critically, eyes narrowing once more, still annoyed, “And how come the two of you weren’t strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?”

 

Edward continued to smirk, evidently still at ease, “It’s all about who you know,” he chuckled lightly; I could hear mama giggle lightly from the counter across the room as the door opened behind us, my ears flicking back toward it. “But, don’t worry, Bella, Dawn and I have come to spring you.”

 

Carlisle came around the curtain then, smiling warmly at Bella as he held her information and x-rays on a clipboard in his hand; her eyes immediately bugged as they fell on him, mouth dropping open in surprise, not uncommon for most people when they saw him. Carlisle was still pretty young looking, with that perfect blond hair that went well with his alabaster skin, giving him a movie-star look that would make any woman (or man) swoon, even when he had the black and blue bruises around his eyes typical of any vampire in our world. I heard Edward’s low groan in realization, knowing Bella would have definitely noticed the ‘family’ resemblance.

 

“So, Miss Swan, how are you feeling?” Carlisle asked, his voice a soft, soothing tone that he often used around his patients, to help put them at ease. Apart of the calming bedside manner he had developed over his centuries of work.

 

“I’m fine.” Bella told him, her voice quiet, as though she was trying to string her thoughts back together.

 

Carlisle nodded, clipping her x-rays to a lightboard that hung on the wall next to her bed, “Your x-rays are looking good. Does your head hurt at all?” He turned to regard her again, his head cocked, just the slightest bit, “Edward and Dawn have told me you hit it pretty hard when you fell.”

 

Bella’s sigh was exasperated, “I’m fine.” She repeated, impatient now as she shot Edward and I a glare once more. I leaned back in my chair, crossing my legs to appear as comfortable as I could be on the hard plastic.

 

Humming, Carlisle set his clipboard aside as he stepped closer to Bella and ran his fingers gently around her ear, feeling for the bump hiding under her hair; she winced when he found it, moving away from his touch reflexively. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Edward stiffen and I glanced at him, noticing his intense focus on Carlisle and Bella. He looked like he wished very much that he could switch places with Carlisle in this moment, that he had the self-control his father did, so he could get closer to Bella, so he could be the one touching her so delicately like that, checking her wounds, without the fear of harming her even worse than he had.

 

“Tender?” I turned back to watch the two as Carlisle gave Bella a gentle smile, understanding her pain; she lifted her head proudly, vehemently refusing to show any further weakness.

 

“Not really.” She crossed her arms; I shook my head at her stubbornness, wondering if she would still have this same kind of attitude if she’d been hurt worse as Edward chuckled lowly beside me. Bella glanced him out of the corner of her eye, frowning heatedly at him as he simply smiled back at her.

 

Carlisle looked at me, amused, and let out a low chuckle of his own, “Well, you seem perfectly fine to me. Your father is in the waiting room, you should be able to go home with him now.” He picked up his clipboard again, “Just be sure to return if you’re feeling any dizziness or you’re having trouble with your eyesight.”

 

“Can’t I go back to school?” Bella grimaced, obviously not looking forward to Charlie doting on her. Mama joined us then, smiling gently at her and shaking her head.

 

“After everything that’s happened, you should take it easy today, Bella.” She told her in a soft, maternal voice, “I could come home with you and Charlie to make sure you’ll be okay.”

 

Bella gave mama a wide-eyed look, obviously appalled at the idea as she shook her head, “No, I’m fine! Really, you don’t need to come home just for me.”

 

“It wouldn’t be any trouble, Bella.” Mama cocked her head, a concerned, motherly smile on her lips, “Believe me, I work so many hours as is, my boss has to beg me to take time off.” She joked lightly, hoping to calm the situation down, even just a little. Bella still didn’t look entirely comfortable at the idea of being the center of our parents’ attention.

 

“What about Dawn and Edward?” She turned a scathing gaze on the pair of us, lips pursed in obvious disproval. “Do _they_ get to go to school? They were involved in the accident, too.”

 

“Yes, but we walked away without any damages.” I pointed out, getting to my feet and stretching my arms over my head, purposely emphasizing this point; she glowered grumpily as Edward emitted another low chuckle of amusement, getting to his feet beside me.

 

“Besides, someone has to let everyone know we survived.” He hummed, smirking smugly as he did so. Bella’s expression soured further, chin squaring irritably.

 

“Actually.” Mama tilted her head to the other side, tapping her chin thoughtfully with one finger, “I do believe I saw that most of the school was in the waiting room with Charlie.”

 

Bella let out a loud groan of mortification, covering her face with her hands at the thought of all the people who would be waiting for her as soon as she walked out of the emergency room. Carlisle looked at mama and I, quirking his brows in concern, but mama smiled patiently, shaking her head as I folded my hands behind my head.

 

“Oh well, I guess if you don’t want to leave, Bella.” Mama started toward the doors, “I’ll just tell everyone you have to stay.”

 

“No, no!” Bella said quickly, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the mattress to hop down from her bed; I almost laughed at how quickly mama had been able to get her to get up, but held it in as Bella stumbled, the blood rushing to her head, reaching out to catch her arm as Carlisle had her other, steadying her with a concerned frown on his face. Edward kept his distance, although I could see the concern and envy warring in his eyes.

 

“I’m okay.” She reassured before he could ask, pink dusting her cheeks out of embarrassment. Carlisle nodded slowly, making sure she was balanced before he released her, just as I did.

 

“Elizabeth, make sure she takes some Tylenol for her pain.” He called to mama, who looked back from the other side of the room; she smiled and nodded in understanding before bustling out to go grab her things from the nearby nurse’s station. Bella sighed, exasperated once more.

 

“It really doesn’t hurt that bad.” She insisted, desperate to get the attention off her, even though she knew that mama wouldn’t be deterred now. Carlisle gave her a patient smile of his own, signing her chart with a faint hum.

 

“It sounds like you were very lucky.” He told her, missing the hard look she shot in my and Edward’s direction, her eyes narrowing. “Yeah…lucky Edward and Dawn just happened to be standing close by.” She agreed in a hard, icy tone. Carlisle glanced up from the clipboard, looking at Edward and I out of the corner of his eye, obviously sensing the suspicion still lingering in my stepsister’s tone.

 

“Oh, well, yes.” He agreed smoothly, occupying himself with the paperwork in his hands. He shot Edward and I a quick glance, telling us to handle it from here. I sighed, messing with my hair as Edward pursed his lips, muttering a quiet, sarcastic thanks that caused the corners of Carlisle’s lips to quirk a little in amusement before he turned to Tyler.

 

“I’m afraid you’ll have to stay with us just a bit longer.” He told the injured teen gently, leaning down to examine the slashes in his skin. Edward and I glanced at one another guiltily, not liking the fact we’d hurt our classmate so badly in our attempt to save Bella from being killed, yet grateful the young man would survive the ordeal himself. For now, we needed to worry about the predicament we had dug ourselves into, as Bella marched deliberately in our direction, pinning the two of us with a hard glare as she got up in our personal space.

 

“Can I talk to the two of you for a minute?” She hissed under her breath, low enough that she thought no one else in the room would be able to hear. I could smell the mixture of orange juice, strawberries, and oats still on her breath from breakfast, which felt like an eternity ago now, even though I knew it had probably been less than two hours since then. Beside me, I felt Edward stagger back a step, obviously still finding it difficult to be too close to her without fighting his instincts. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, noticing the concentrated pain he tried to conceal as he clenched his jaw. I cleared my throat, turning back to Bella as I put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

 

“Bella, we shouldn’t keep Charlie waiting.” I told her gently, smiling compellingly as I tugged on her arm, “You know his anxiety is probably through the roof about now.”

 

Bella frowned at me, unamused at my attempt to usher her away before she could push this issue further; her gaze shot toward where Carlisle was, supposedly, busy taking care of Tyler. Once she was sure they were occupied, she turned her hard gaze back on the pair of us, pressing her lips tightly together.

 

“I would like to speak with you alone, _both_ of you,” She looked between us to emphasize her point, “If neither of you mind.” She insisted in a low, no nonsense voice.

 

I inwardly groaned, suddenly feeling wary and tired, wishing I could just go home and crawl back into bed, but I kept my composure, knowing it wouldn’t help our case to let Bella know just how much this was wearing on me. Edward and I both had a role to play at this very moment…even if my family was planning on letting Bella in on our secret, it was still dangerous for her to know the Cullens. Breaking the news of the supernatural to her now…that would go over about as well as a bomb in the middle of a natural disaster.

 

Exchanging a silent look with Edward, he gave a curt, reluctant nod and turned on his heel, stalking the length of the room away from us. I put an arm around Bella, ushering her after him as he led the way out of the ER into the halls; I could powerwalk fast enough to catch up, but Bella was practically jogging by the time we turned down a corner to a dead end hall. Edward had turned to face us again, pinning Bella with cold golden eyes.

 

“What do you want?” He asked her in an icy voice, crossing his arms tightly before him; I frowned at his sudden change. I knew he would want to try and put some distance between him and Bella, but I hadn’t expected such an icy demeanor out of him.

 

Bella, not quite expecting the change herself, visibility cringed at his hostility, her eyes stretching wide in bewilderment, eyebrows furrowing in concern. When she spoke, her voice was small, even though I could tell she was trying to sound strong, demanding.

 

“You two owe me an explanation,” She told us, reminding us of the promise we’d made back at the school. I could sense his pain, even as he glared at her, “We just saved your life,” He retorted harshly, gesturing to me and then himself, “We don’t owe you anything.”

 

Bella flinched at his tone and it took her a minute before she could speak again, her voice nearly a whisper as she looked between us, “You promised…”

 

“Bella, maybe this isn’t the best time to talk about this.” I told her gently, doing my best to defuse the situation before it got too out of hand, already sensing the direction the conversation was going, “You’ve just been in accident, you should be taking it easy…”

 

Edward nodded tartly in agreement, “Especially with a head injury like yours’…”

 

Bella’s expression tightened at his words, eyes flashing angrily and chin jutting out, “There isn’t anything wrong with my head.” She snapped back at him, crossing her own arms over her chest. Oh no…Edward met her gaze challengingly.

 

“What is it you want from us, Bella?”

 

“I want to know the truth.” She told him, more confident than she had been a moment ago, “I want to know why I just had to _lie_ for the two of you.”

 

“How about the fact that one of us is your _sister?”_ Edward snipped back angrily, trying to redirect her attention, pushing her away, “A little something called family loyalty?”

 

“Okay, let’s calm down a little bit…” I said quickly as pain flickered across Bella’s face at the accusatory tone of his voice; I put a gentle hand on her arm, squeezing gently, “It’s been a long day for all of us, we’ve been through something traumatic...I’m sure we’re all just dealing with it our own ways.” I gave Edward a look out of the corner of my eye, telling him to cool it before thinks got out of hand. “We all have a very different view of what happened, yes? We shouldn’t be getting upset by that…” I turned calmly to my stepsister, “Now, Bella, you’re tired, let’s get you back to Charlie and –“

 

“Don’t talk to me like I’m a stupid little kid, Dawn!” Bella spoke up, shoving me back; I stumbled a little, caught off guard, and felt a cold arm wrap around my back, steadying me. Bella glared at me, pain still evident in her expression, even as it was being overruled by anger and irritation. I frowned sadly at her, straightening myself again, seeing she was shaking as the words she kept in spilled out of her, unbidden, “I know what I saw! I know neither of you were within reaching distance of me, and don’t try to brush that off as my hitting my head too hard, Tyler didn’t see either of you, either! That van would have crushed all three of us, but it didn’t, you two stopped it, you left those dents in it’s side, AND the bumper of the tan car I parked next to. I should have been killed or paralyzed, but you two stopped the van from crushing me or my legs, you pushed it away and held it off me…” She broke off suddenly, as though just realizing how crazy she must have sounded in that moment, her anger giving way to tears, like usual; she grit her teeth together to keep them at bay, still trying to glare at the two of us.

 

I stared at Bella in surprise, completely taken aback by this; I had expected her anger with the situation, especially if she had seen, at least, something, but this…she had seen _everything._ She was far more observant than I gave her credit for…

 

“You think we lifted a van off you?’ Edward spoke up sarcastically, raising one eyebrow derisively. Bella pursed her lips tightly at his tone, nodding stiffly in return, jaw still clenched. Edward sniffed, shaking his head with a mocking grin, “Nobody is going to believe that, you know.”

 

“I’m not going to tell anyone.” She rebuffed stiffly, each word spoken carefully as she tried to keep a handle on her temper. I knew Bella would keep her word, no matter how angry or upset she might be at Edward or myself in that moment. And not just because she and I were family. Edward was taken aback by this realization, though, staring at Bella as surprise peeked out through the cracks in his mask.

 

“Then why should it matter…?” He furrowed his brows, trying to keep his hard tone, even though there was a curious note underlying it. Bella shifted a little, as though uncomfortable, squeezing her forearms in her hands.

 

“It matters to me, because I don’t like to lie.” She told him seriously, keeping his gaze intently, “If I have a good reason, I don’t mind it so much.”

 

There was a silent plea in her eyes, a plea for Edward and I to trust her. My heart clenched tight in my chest, guilt weighing heavy on my soul as I shoved my clenched fists into the pockets of my jeans. I wished I could spill out everything for Bella to see, to let her into our inner circle, that I didn’t have to lie to her about this anymore, but it was more than our current situation and the threat of someone overhearing our conversation that stopped me. It was more than my family’s secret on the line right now…

 

“Can’t you just thank the two of us and get it over with?” Edward asked callously, narrowing his eyes tightly on her, unwilling to let Bella in like she hoped. Her eyes glistened sadly, but she covered it up with her anger, clenching her jaw tight once more.

 

“Thank you…both of you.” She fumed, waiting for us to say anything else; I sighed deeply, knowing I should have expected this.

 

“Bella…can’t you just let this go?” I asked with furrowed brows, gazing compellingly at her; she looked at me angrily, face scrunching, as though wondering how I could even ask that. Edward huffed, shaking his head slowly, as though exasperated now.

 

“In that case…I hope you enjoy disappointment.” He told her coldly; she retuned her gaze on him, scowling angrily. He scowled in return and I got this strange vision of a big, powerful lion staring down a fragile, harmless little kitten, more amused by the vulnerable little cat’s fearlessness than anything else.

 

A pink flush filled Bella’s cheeks, which subconsciously puffed out, like an angry child’s, preparing to throw a temper tantrum, “Why’d _you_ bother then?” She asked Edward frigidly.

 

Her question seemed to catch him off guard, again, and his mask slipped once more, just for the briefest of the seconds, as he answered her, “I don’t know…” His voice was barley a whisper. His eyes scanned her face then, as though memorizing every last detail for the final time before he turned and walked away from her. I frowned after him, more surprised by the look he’d left with before I caught a whiff of mama’s scent nearby, her footsteps coming from the direction of the ER. I sighed slowly, turning to regard my stepsister again, my lips pursing.

 

“You know Bells, there are just some things people can’t talk about.” I told her, shaking my head slowly back and forth, not quite like I was disappointed, more exasperated and tired now; she gave me a strange look, her eyebrows pulling together as her anger gave way to a confused look, “We’re sorry if we made you feel stupid, or like we’re treating you like a kid, but this is just…not something that could be talked about easily…you should be able to understand that.” I gave her a pointed look, sighing as her eyebrows furrowed deeply at back me. Mama rounded the corner as I shook my head once more, “I’ll see you at home...” I tell her before I turn and follow Edward.


	4. Revalations

I slipped out of the hospital through a back entrance to avoid the crowds, checking my surroundings to be sure no one else was around before I made a direct beeline for the woods; Edward was already gone, obviously too preoccupied with his confrontation with Bella to think of much else aside from trying to appear normal, inconspicuous. Even though she was suspicious, he would still need to keep up appearances for the rest of the humans who knew about the accident. We didn’t want to give them the chance to start up any unnecessary rumors. He was in enough trouble with the rest of his coven as is and there was no need for him to dig himself deeper into that hole.

 

I got back to school around the end of the second period and watched as most of the students who had gone to the hospital trickled back in throughout the day until only Tyler and Bella (as well as a handful of students who used the accident as an excuse to ditch) remained absent.

 

I wouldn’t get the chance to catch up with Edward again until biology at the end of the day, since he had decided to skip lunch entirely, more than likely to avoid his siblings and the inevitable explosion that was simmering dangerously under the surface. None of them would have initiated anything while we were still in school, no matter how angry they were, they would wait until they were in the privacy of their own home, but I could tell, upon first walking into the cafeteria, that Rosalie was just, barely, holding onto her temper.

 

Yeah…there was a ticking time bomb hidden beneath that beautiful, platinum blond hair and smooth, ivory skin ready to explode at a second’s notice…I really, really hoped mama would be able to come to the Cullen house after school today to help me deal with it and try to smooth things over…she, Carlisle, and Esme were each good at diffusing situations like this, whether together or alone…and since today’s discussion was going to be pretty big, we were going to need all three of them to be able to handle it…even more so since I knew Rosalie wasn’t the only one with ill-intent…

 

Even behind his carefully constructed mask, I knew Jasper was just as upset about the entire situation as Rosalie was; he wouldn’t be quite as volatile, at least not outwardly, but I knew how his mind worked, just as I did the rest of our family’s. If something felt dangerous, if he felt like something was going to hurt his family, hurt _Alice_ , then he was going to do whatever he could to get rid of that threat, even if he had to kill an innocent to do it. He would do everything in his power to protect the one thing in this world that meant more to him than his own life. He would fight his own family if he had to, if it meant Alice was safe.

 

An unavoidable thing, if he were to stay on this path, since he knew mama, Edward, and I would do everything in our power to protect her, short of killing him, of course. Bella was human, but she was a part of my family and we weren’t going to let any supernatural creature lay a finger on her.

 

 _(That’s all fine and dandy, but we’ve kinda got another problem to deal with here and now.)_ That inner voice warned as I walked into biology; Edward was already inside, hunched over in his seat and staring at the blacktop. I frowned to myself at the distant look in his eyes, wondering what kind of Lalaland he was in as Mr. Banner approached him from the front of the room to talk to him before class. Edward glanced up at his approach, but his gaze was still unfocused, far off; if I had to guess, his mind was, more than likely, on the other side of town, at my house with Bella, probably wondering what she was doing now, if she was okay.

 

“I’m surprised to see you in class, Edward.” Mr. Banner gave him a concerned look, furrowing his brows, “I’ve heard you and a few other students were involved in that awful accident this morning.”

 

“I wasn’t hurt.” I didn’t miss the emotionless tone in Edward’s voice, the hair on the back of my neck prickling uneasily as he stared back at our teacher without a trace of his usual charisma or charm. Mr. Banner, evidently sensing it as well, shifted his weight from one foot to the other, glancing away briefly as he crossed his arms, as though he was uncomfortable.

 

“We were the lucky ones.” I stepped up alongside Edward, quickly taking the reins as I put a hand on his back, digging my nails warningly into his hard skin as I gave the older man a reassuring smile; Mr. Banner turned his attention on me, his tense posture relaxing, just a little, “Edward and I managed to walk away without a scratch.” I sighed heavily, dramatically, pinching my eyebrows, playing up the concern a little since I knew the others would be okay, “Bella and Tyler weren’t quite as lucky…”

 

Mr. Banner furrowed his brow once more, his forehead wrinkling, “How are they, Dawn?”

 

“They’ll both live, Mr. Banner, don’t worry.” I reassured him, shaking my head as though to dispel his worries further, “Nothing more serious than some superficial scrapes caused by the windows breaking. Probably won’t need more than a couple stitches and rest. Bella was feeling a tad drained after the whole experience, though, so our parents took her straight home from the hospital.” I dug my nails deeper into Edward’s back, “I can’t honestly say I blame her, though….I think Edward and I are beginning to feel a bit of fatigue ourselves….I guess the adrenaline from earlier must have worn off. So…”

 

Mr. Banner nodded his head in understanding; it was usual for normal humans to get a burst of adrenaline during high risk situations, like what had happened this morning. It was their fight or flight response kicking on in the face of danger, a natural response hardwired into their systems just as it was for any other creature on this planet. It was basically like that burst of energy you got when you drank something highly caffeinated or sugary. And, like any other burst of energy, once the initial danger that had caused it had passed, it would eventually wane, leaving a person fatigued and, more often than not, in serious need of a nap. The perfect excuse to explain Edward’s serious lack of effort to our human acquaintances.

 

“Of course…will the two of you be all right?” he cocked his head, curious once more, eyeing our hands, looking for any sign of low blood sugar in either of our systems. I nodded.

 

“Yes, we should be fine. We made sure to eat a little bit at lunch.”

 

“Good.” Mr. Banner looked between us once more, “Just be sure to tell me if either of you feel faint or like you need to go to the nurse’s office.” I nodded gratefully after him as he turned to head for the front of the class as the bell rang, letting out a slow sigh as I gave Edward a long, sideways glance.

 

 _(Jesus, Edward, I know Bella is getting to you, but you need to pull yourself together.)_ I clenched my nails in his back to emphasize my point before pulling away, cracking my knuckles silently as I took my seat at the table next to him. _(You’ve already dug yourself into a hole as is, you push your luck any further, it’s going to turn into a literal grave. Rose is on the warpath as is.)_

 

Edward glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, giving me a look that said he could handle Rosalie; I pressed my lips in return, indicating I didn’t doubt he could, taking out my materials for class, knowing we still had a show to put on, no matter how tired we might pretend to be from this morning. He knew the trouble he was in, the uproar his saving a human would cause in his coven, he understood the dangers just as well as I did. That didn’t mean he would get off scot free without explaining himself.

 

The others would know I couldn’t just stand back and watch a member of my family get mangled like Bella almost was, they knew I would have needed to intervene, my life/secret be damned to hell.

 

Edward would not have such an easy explanation to fall back on, even if his reaction to saving her had been about as automatic as mine. More than likely he would say he was preventing himself from exposing his true nature in a much more open and shocking way if he were to smell Bella’s blood on the air, should the van have succeeded in crushing her in the first place. It would be enough to explain his actions…even though I had the very distinct feeling it would not be an explanation Edward would be using.

 

 _(Hm…even if you **did** use that explanation, I dunno how much good it would do in the long run…)_ I leaned my chin against my knuckles, glancing at Edward again; his gaze was unfocused once more, eyes tracing the cracks in the brick wall next to the whiteboard, but I knew he could hear me. He shifted his weight, uneasy, his hands clenching in his lap, _(Especially when it comes to Jas, he’s a lot more resolved about things than Rose - )_

 

Edward’s back snapped into a straight line as my mind wandered to thoughts of what his brother planned to do, of his intentions to protect their coven, to protect Alice. His hands clenched tighter, the sounds of his knuckles popping overridden by the clench of his teeth, just quiet enough not to be detectable by human ears; a low, torturous grinding noise, like metal brushing against itself that made my sensitive ears press back against the top of my head as his jaw clenched, pushing out a vein in his neck. The focus had returned to his eyes, but they were hard, slowly darkening with the rage that was overtaking him. The hair all over my body rose with the sense of danger that perfumed the air, causing my tail to bristle invisibly, my muscles locking in preparation to restrain him; I was barely even aware of how close I came to snapping my mechanical pencil in my clenched fist, I was so focused on him. I needed to calm him down, he needed to get out of here, now.

 

“Mr. Banner?” I was across the aisle as Edward was jumping to his feet, gripping his arms tightly in my hands as I kicked his legs out from under him and pivoted around on my heel, blocking him from our teacher and fellow classmate’s gazes; I staggered, feigning as though Edward’s weight had sent me off balance as I wrapped an arm loosely around his waist, inconspicuously pining one hand to his side while my free hand gripped the other. He remained rigid in my grip, but didn’t try to fight against me, his legs the only part of him to remain slack, adding to the affect. “Mr. Banner, I think Edward’s not feeling all too well…is it all right if I take him out for some fresh air?”

 

Mr. Banner and the rest of our class had turned to peer curiously at the two of us, some students leaning over to their neighbors to whisper as our teacher pinched his eyebrows in worry, “Does he need the nurse, Dawn?”

 

I shook my head, “No, no, I…I think he just has a bit of light-headedness, that’s all.” I reassured him, slyly snagging our bags as I started dragging Edward toward the door. “I’m sure just getting him outside will help. May I?”

 

“Y-yes, of course,” Mr. Banner stuttered, blinking slowly as he tried to fully absorb the situation, “Take all the time you need.”

 

“Thank you, sir.” I flashed a grateful smile and dragged Edward out the door before he could think to say anything else. Once free of the classroom, I pulled him into the safety of the trees and didn’t stop again until we were in our spot just out of sight of the school.

 

“Edward, you have _got_ to get a freaking grip!” I dropped my hold from his arms, frowning deeply at him as he finally stood up on his own two legs, turning to pin me with dark golden eyes. “Breath, in and out, in and out, okay?” I demonstrated the motion for him, encouraging him to do the same until he took in a deep breath of the cold, dry air, held it in is lungs and then released it slowly. His posture relaxed a fraction, but his jaw remained clenched tight. I sighed slowly, “Christ on a bike, if you don’t rein yourself in, you’re gonna dig yourself deeper into that hole you started this morning and it’s only going to make Rose and Jasper even more sure about what they think they need to do.”

 

Edward continued to take deep breathes, closing his blazing eyes as he lowered himself on the rock behind him. I set our bags down at his feet, putting my hands on my hips as I watched him closely. I sighed once more, putting a gentle hand on Edward’s shoulder as I sat beside him, shifting to get comfortable on the cold stone.

 

“Edward, please, pull yourself together…I know you’re upset about this whole thing, I don’t like it anymore than you do…” I let my gaze drift toward the edge of the trees, my lips pressing into a single line, “But getting upset about it isn’t going to help us…mama and I are going to need a calm, level-head on our side if we want to have any kind of chance against Rose and Jasper….” Not to mention Emmett, considering he would, more or less, be forced to follow his wife’s lead in taking care of our problem once and for all. I didn’t think any of the others would be on their side; Carlisle would be wholly against the younger vampire’s plans, even if he would refuse to fight them physically in order to stop them. Esme wouldn’t side with either, considering she thought of all the younger members of her coven as her own children and would be all for any kind of plan that kept her family intact. Her sense of right and wrong depended solely on the wellbeing of her family, especially Edward in this instance.

 

 _(The way he described them before is pretty spot on.)_ I thought to myself, glancing at Edward out of the corner of my eye as I recalled what he’s once told me about his adopted parents, _(Funny how easy it is to see Carlisle being the very soul of their family…and Esme being the heart. His wise leadership and her deep devotion…it’s really made them…no, all of us, a family….even with how things are now.)_

 

That would only leave Alice…depending on what she saw, I would imagine she would be siding with the winner. So, right now, that left three against three…more than likely Edward would take on Emmett since he understood him the best; even if the younger Cullen had strength on his side, Edward had his extra talent, too, which definitely put him on even grounds with his brother. I was more assured of this fact since I’d seen the two wrestling multiple times over the years and saw them end it in a tie each and every time. Mama would be better equipped to deal with Jasper, the most experienced in battle than any of the rest of his family, since she was the best at reading body language and quickest out of all of us, which left me with Rosalie. I wondered if freezing her in a block of ice would be enough to cool that hot head of hers’.

 

A low chuckle from my right drew my attention away from the image of the blond incased in ice as I turned my head to gaze at the vampire beside me, quirking a brow; a faint, but amused smile had touched Edward’s lips, his expression relaxing, just the slightest bit, the blaze in his eyes fading to a light smolder. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at me, still smiling faintly.

 

“You’d need an entire glacier to cool Rosalie down right now.” He whispered in a strained voice, putting a hand over mine and squeezing tightly. I smile lightly and let out a quiet laugh, nodding as I rub his arm with my free hand, sighing, “I know, I know…but then we’d have to worry about global warming, wouldn’t we?”

 

His smile widened, just a fraction, his expression relaxing further as he wrinkled his nose in amusement, “We wouldn’t be worrying about it, we’d be experiencing it.” I snort, shaking my head as I gently pulled my hand out from under his, leaning my head on his shoulder, his skin just as cold as the stone we were sitting on, even through the barrier of his shirt and jacket. He absentmindedly pushed the hair back out of my face, sighing. “We’re going to get through this Edward…” I whispered, taking his free hand and squeezing it reassuringly in mine, “Even if it was just you, me, and mama against the rest of your coven, we’d manage, you know neither mama nor I would let them near Bella until we knew it was safe. We won’t let Rose, Jasper, or Emmett hurt her.”

 

Edward hummed under his breath, running his thumb smoothly over the back of my hand, his eyes following the movement, “You guys can’t be on the defensive all the time…you can’t watch her every single second of the day…”

 

“It might not come down to that, you know Carlisle won’t let it.” I reminded him gently, watching his finger thoughtfully, “But…if it came down to it…maybe we could convince her to go home.” I felt him stiffen beside me, the thought of her leaving an obvious pain, even greater than his thirst for her blood, “Or, a safer option might be putting her in the protection of my mother’s family…it’s large enough that they would be able to take care of her and keep Rose, Jas, or Em from getting anywhere close to her.”

 

Edward hummed quietly in thought, knowing the entirety of my mother’s side consisted of supernatural beings, mainly demons like us, and that they all lived very close together, meaning they would be able to keep an eye on Bella at all times. Even if we weren’t quite as indestructible, demons were still a force to be reckoned with. We still bled, like any other creature with a heartbeat, we still bruised, but our reflexes, speed, and our strength, not to mention our healing, were a great deal faster than a human’s. We could keep up with a vampire where humans could not. They would be able to keep my stepsister safe until the heat was off, if it came down to it.

 

“If all else fails, that’ll be our plan B.” Edward turned his head to look at me, the ghost of a smile on his pale lips. I lifted my gaze to his face, nodding in agreement as I squeezed his hand gently in mine; my ears perked as the familiar nasal sound of the school bell sounded in the distance, announcing the end of the period. Edward let out a slow sigh as I sat up straight again, both of knowing he would need to get back for his final class with Emmett. I peered at him out of the corner of my eye, frowning quietly as we got up together, slinging out bags over our shoulders.

 

“You gonna be okay for your final class?” I frown as we slowly make our way back toward the school grounds together; Edward stares ahead, his lips pressing together in thought. I gently grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop just before we reached the edge of the trees and turning him to face me, looking up into the warm, liquid gold of his eyes. “Edward…”

 

“I’ll be okay, Dawn.” He offered the whisper of a smile, even though I could clearly see his mind was still preoccupied with what his siblings were planning. My ears pressed down sadly against the top of my head, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do much until we were free of the school and in the privacy of the Cullen home. We couldn’t afford to make things worse, not right now. He squeezed my biceps gently in his hands, sensing my anxiety over anything else happening in the final hour of school, even though I knew Emmett would be there to keep him from blowing his top, if it came down to it. “I promise.”

 

I let out a slow breath, inclining my head in a quiet nod, “Okay…I trust you, Edward. Just…please, try to take it easy, don’t let your temper get the better of you.”

 

“I can’t make any promises about that.” His chuckle was low, strained, as it escaped past his lips, “But I can try…” He squeezed my arms gently again before he released me, the weak smile on his face slipping away as he turned away from me and stepped out of the cover of the trees, heading for the Spanish building, “I’ll see you after school.”

 

I stepped out of the trees with him, watching him cross the damp lawn toward the red bricked buildings, and sighing to myself, scanning the school grounds as he left my sight; there were only a few stragglers left, hurrying through the cold, dry air as fast as they’re able to with the ground as icy as it currently was. No one who would pay too close attention to anything aside from getting to their classes on time.

 

Tugging my hoodie tight over my head to protect my ears, I stuffed my hands into the warmth of my pockets and dashed across the ground toward the student parking lot; even with the layer of ice that covered everything, I reached my car within seconds, tossing my bag onto the passenger seat and locking it safely inside before turning to Bella’s truck. I’d texted Charlie around lunch, promising I’d bring Bella’s truck back home this afternoon, knowing I would have time during the final school period to do so before the meeting at the Cullen’s house. I just had to be careful about getting it out of here since I wouldn’t _technically_ be driving it, even if I wanted to, considering I didn’t have the key.

 

Rounding the back of the truck, my eyes instinctively moved toward the tan car parked on the other side, reflexively checking for anything out of the ordinary, anything that could hint toward the supernatural. I was only able to relax, at least somewhat, when I saw that the bumper hardly even looked like it’d suffered anything worse than, maybe, a minor fender bender; Emmett had successfully been able to erase any evidence of the damages either Edward or I had done to the car when we’d been pushed back into it, a relief in of itself considering how distinct I was sure the impressions had been when the metal had reshaped itself around us. A dull ache worked its’ way through my shoulders at the memory and I grimaced, rolling them to alleviate it, internally grateful for my vampire genes, which prevented major damage in situations like that and the quick healing factor from my demon side. Thankfully, even if I’d been hurt, it likely would’ve only taken a couple of hours for any injures to heal. I would’ve just needed to make sure no one else, including Bella, knew about the injury beforehand, least I raise any further suspicions.

 

Sighing to myself at the thought, I did a quick, careful scan of the surrounding area, taking care to check the other cars to ensure I was completely alone and turned back to the truck, bending my knees so I could get my hands up under the back. My claws sank into the thin crevice between the frame of the car and the bumper, which I wrapped in the palms of my hands and pulled, slowly straightening into a stand once more; my muscles locked under the weight of the vehicle, supporting it as easily as they would if I was carrying a 10 lb cardboard box as the back tires came up off the ground, the front moving toward me. The breaks offered resistance as I took a few careful steps back, pulling the truck out from where it was parked, just enough to suggest they would keep the vehicle in place like they were supposed to until it was moved forcibly. At least we wouldn’t have to worry about it rolling away unexpectedly.

 

 _(I’m going to have to make sure I compliment Jake on his work on his ol’ guy again, he really did an amazing job.)_ I told myself as I shifted my stance, planting my feet firmly as I used my left arm to pull the back of the truck up over my head, so I could reach further under with my right; my hand closed around the single bar under the truck bed that connected the two rear tires, making double sure I had a decent grip on it before I moved my left arm forward to secure it under the engine. A painful screech made my ears press back against the top of my head as the front bumper scraped the icy ground just before I lifted the vehicle up over my head, fixing my grip to ensure I wouldn’t lose it before I took another quick survey of my surroundings. So far so good…

 

I was careful as I crossed the school grounds to the surrounding forest, avoiding moving within view of any of the school buildings as I carried Bella’s truck into the safety of the trees at a jog, only breaking into a full out run once I was sure it was safe enough to do so. The path I took home wasn’t necessarily a road, although it was somewhat wide enough to be driven on by a car, which made it easier for me to be able to carry the truck between the trees without fear of putting anymore dents in it than it already had. Before I’d gotten my license when I was sixteen, I used to run this path to and from the high school every day instead of taking the bus since it was always a lot faster, at least for me, and I got to sleep in a bit longer in the mornings. If anyone asked how I got around without the bus or my parents, I would just tell them I came in with the Cullens, since Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett had all been sophomores when they’d first started here, and it wasn’t unusual for 10th graders to already be able to drive. I’d been careful to make sure I arrived at school around the same time they did, to keep up the story, even if none of our other classmates were ever really interested enough in that subject to probe further. They’d been too enthralled with the newcomers to really question anything I said, more interested in how close I got to the Cullens where no one else had been able to.

 

 _(You’d think I’d just made contact with an alien species with how everyone carried on…)_ I shook my head at the memories, thinking back on how a lot of the other students, including some of my old friends, had bombarded me with questions about the coven, demanding to know my secrets so they, too, could befriend them. Knowing what I did about them, I’d just told everyone the family usually liked to keep to themselves and weren’t exactly interested in making a lot of friends…needless to say, that had ticked off more than a few people and I’d lost a few friends of my own because of it. Even after years of friendship, they couldn’t get over the fact I didn’t even try to introduce them to the vampires or help set them up with the only single one of the five. I’d learned the hard way who my real friends were that year, but I was better off in the long run if they got all bent out of shape over something as trivial as that, especially if they were going to be starting baseless rumors about Edward and I because of it. Well…there was at least one advantage, I wouldn’t have to deal with petty arguments or a whole lot of drama, something I liked to avoid as much as possible. I didn’t really like drama all that much, it just caused unnecessary stress and complications we really didn’t need in our lives.

 

Our house was quiet as I carried the truck out of the trees and walked up the drive to park it in front of the garage, in the same spot it’d been parked in this morning before school, being careful not to just drop it and make a lot of noise to alert either my stepfather or sister to my presence. As much as I’d love to check in on Bella and make sure she was okay, I really didn’t want Charlie watching me like a hawk right now; if I’d gone back to school on my own, he would have known I was okay, but my stepfather was known to be a tad overprotective sometimes. Particularly when it came to us kids. More than a few times my brothers and I came close to giving the poor man a heart attack when we were growing up, particularly since we enjoyed climbing high into the trees surrounding the house and, more often than not, usually came inside scraped up and bruised from our adventures. I think the only thing that kept Charlie from dropping dead when he saw this was the fact that he knew about our demon lineage, so he knew the twins and I were going to be getting into things most human kids wouldn’t and we would come out just fine. And yet, even knowing this, he still fretted over the three of us just about as much as he did Bella, even if Henry, Geoffrey, and I were better able to protect ourselves than our sister was. I guess no matter how old a child gets or how strong they might be, a parent’s concern never completely faded.

 

It was a comforting thought, worrying, but still comforting all the same, especially in knowing the parent cared, even if one of the children was not biologically theirs’. I didn’t like knowing I stressed Charlie out, I didn’t like to upset him, but…it was still sweet knowing he was there for me and cared about me as much as he did the rest of his kids. Even if the man who’d helped create me was no longer around, I at least had a father in my life I could depend on. It made me feel…loved, content. I wished I knew my birth father, but….my life was pretty good as it was, and I really wouldn’t trade it for anything. Sometimes I wished things could’ve been easier, but, still, life could have been a lot worse than it was now, even with how complicated things were getting with my stepsister being here. We would figure something out, one way or another.

 

I walked back to school instead of running this time, deciding to just enjoy the peace and quiet while I had the chance. It gave me time to listen to some music and go over what was going to happen, prepare myself. If we could settle this thing calmly, all the better, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath, especially when it came to something as important as this. I had to be ready.

 

The final bell rang just as I walked back onto the school grounds, crossing to where I’d left my car. My eyes automatically swept across the lot, scanning the groups of students trickling in from the surrounding buildings, eager to escape and enjoy what was left of their day, and landing on the ‘twin’ blonds that were crossing to the silver Volvo parked several spots away. Rosalie’s expression was as stormy as it had been this morning, her lips pressed into that same thin, white line, her cold golden eyes flickering in my direction as though sensing my stare and narrowing dangerously, lips pulling back into a silent snarl. I pursed my lips in return, silently telling her to cool her temper before someone noticed as Jasper put a silent hand on her shoulder, directing her into the backseat of the Volvo before casting me his own disproving stare over his shoulder, the only indication of what he was feeling as he kept a cool, composed expression. I sighed quietly as he climbed into the back with his sister, frowning to myself as I watched Alice appear next, obviously staring off into the near future as her eyes were glazed, her gaze distant, brow furrowed, causing her forehead to crease with worry. More than likely watching to see the outcome of our discussion, what the others were going to do, most likely Jasper, etc.

 

Edward and Emmett were the last ones to arrive, the usual easy smile on Emmett’s face absent in light of our current circumstances, his brow pulled into a furrowed line, casting an uncharacteristic shadow over his eyes that emphasized his anxiety and worry over the entire situation. Edward walked purposely toward the car, his back straight, shoulders squared and expression as resolute as the look in Jasper’s eyes, ready to take on the preverbal battle ahead. His butterscotch eyes met mine over the hoods of the other cars, just for a split second, not quite surprised at seeing I was still there even though I wouldn’t have had a reason to still be at school, but rather, determined, holding a silent promise that he was going to put everything he had into this fight, that he wouldn’t let any more harm come to my stepsister. I offered a faint smile in return in gratitude, inclining my head just the slightest bit before he climbed into the driver’s seat of the Volvo and I got into my Camry to follow him to his house.

 

Carlisle’s Mercedes and mama’s mini-van were already at the house by the time we arrived; Edward parked in the last available spot inside the garage while I parked beside mama’s van on the side. Well…at least we would have someone there to mediate the conversation, so it didn’t get out of hand…

 

Upon entering the house, the six of us made a beeline for the dining room; like the kitchen, this room was more for display purposes than really what it should be used for, furnished by a long oval mahogany table surrounded by chairs, just to keep up appearances. They were all meticulous when it came to having the correct props in their home, to appear normal. More often than not, though, this room was used as a kind of conference room for serious manners like the one we were facing now. According to Carlisle, having such a room when his family had so many different, but strong, personalities was necessary, so they could all sit and discuss things calmly.

 

I got this very distinct feeling it wasn’t going to be of much help for the discussion today.

 

Carlisle, Esme, and mama were waiting inside; like our previous discussions, they were seated at the eastern side of the table, Carlisle seated at the head, right in front of the outer glass wall. Esme and mama sat on either side of him, Esme on his right, holding his hand on top of the table while mama sat on his left, her hands folded in her lap. The three leaders of our united family, coming together to guide us back to peace.

 

Esme was watching Edward worriedly, her expression troubled, full lips pressed into a single line, eyebrows pulling together; there was the undoubtable look of a mother, worried for the safety and happiness of her child. Worried about losing him. She wanted him to stay…

 

I glanced at Edward, who didn’t even look to have the energy to offer any kind of reassurances as he took his seat beside Esme. She gently took his hand under the table, squeezing tightly. I sat next to mama, holding her hand, too, as she gave Edward her own concerned frown, her eyebrows furrowing together before her eyes slid to the other end of the table, evidently aware of what was to come as everyone took their seats, drawing their own lines in the sand on which side they were taking.

 

Rosalie took the seat immediately across from Carlisle, fixing him with a stubborn glare that didn’t ease when she observed the obvious pain in his eyes, the creases in the forehead bringing an older look to his face that didn’t look like it belonged. Her gaze then slid to where Edward was sitting, eyes blazing like golden fire as Emmett sat on her right, his expression drawn, conflicted, as he kept glancing anxiously between his wife and the rest of our family. After a moment of hesitation, Jasper took up a spot leaning against the wall behind Rosalie, his expression still impassive, as though he could care less about the discussion at hand. Only his eyes betrayed his resolve on his next course of action.

 

Alice trailed in behind the rest of us, her eyes still unfocused, still viewing results of the decisions we would be making here. She moved to my and mama’s side of the table and took the empty seat next to me without a word, thin lips pressing into an even thinner line as she reached a hand up to rub her forehead, as though to sooth a headache; I took her free hand in mine, squeezing tightly and she glanced silently at me out of the corner of her eye, squeezing lightly back, mindful of her strength. Jasper twitched, as though he was getting ready to join her, but kept his place leaning against the wall.

 

I lifted my gaze to Edward silently and we exchanged a silent look before he took in a deep breath, preparing to speak as he turned to regard his siblings.

 

“I’m sorry…” He said softly, first meeting Rose, then Jasper, and finally, Emmett’s gazes. “I didn’t mean to put any of us here at risk….what I did today was thoughtless, and I take full responsibility for my actions…”

 

Rosalie narrowed her eyes dangerously, glaring disdainfully at him as she cut me off before I could interject, “What do you mean _take full responsibility?_ Are you going to fix this?”

 

“He won’t be taking care of it in _that_ way.” I spoke up then, earning Rosalie’s glare now, “And he wasn’t the only one who acted without thinking today, I did, too. Edward and I are both at fault here and we will handle it.”

 

“I’m the one who initiated it.” Edward frowned at me, giving me an imploring look, “I will take care of it, Dawn. If it will make things easier on everyone, I’m willing to leave.”

 

“Edward….” Mama frowned as him as Esme quickly shook her head, frowning deeply, “You can’t just leave, you’re a part of this family.”

 

Edward squeezed Esme’s hand, giving her and mama a weak smile, “It will only be for a few years while all of you finish living here.”

 

“But what if we never see you again…?” I clenched mama and Alice’s hands tight, “You and the coven might move to remain undetected, but we’ve put down permanent roots here….we don’t want to lose you.”

 

“I can come and visit….in secret…” Edward promised, making my ears press back flat against the top of my head, “You mean without being around Bella.”

 

“Edward…I know this is difficult but running from your problems is not the answer.” Mama pointed out softly, her voice gentle, comforting, “You tried that once already, and you know how that worked out…”

 

“Besides, we need you here now more than ever.” Emmett piped up, peering sadly at his brother, his face scrunched, “We need to know what other people are thinking right now…I mean, I know Geff can read people’s minds, but we can’t just pull him out of the middle school every time we need someone’s mind read…”

 

“I’m sure Alice could watch for anything major.” Edward pointed out feebly; Carlisle and mama looked at one another, shaking their heads before Carlisle spoke up this time. “It won’t do to have you just disappear, Edward, it could cause the girl –“ He broke off at the look mama gave him, her eyebrow arching, “…Bella…to speak up if you were to suddenly disappear…either all of us leave,” He indicated the rest of the coven and I could swear I heard my heart splinter at that moment, “Or none of us do.”

 

“She won’t say anything.” Edward insisted firmly, glancing at Rosalie, who was curling her fists, readying to explode at any second. Carlisle’s frown deepened.

 

“You don’t know her mind, Edward.”

 

“No, but I know her.” I spoke up, looking at Carlisle as mama nodded, “Carlisle, I practically grew up with Bella…she’s very reserved and quiet, she doesn’t like to talk to others about her problems, no matter how small they are, much less something as big as this. It’s why mama, Charlie, and I agreed to let her in on our secret…if we thought we couldn’t trust her, we wouldn’t let her know…she’s just like Charlie…she would take secrets like ours to her grave.”

 

“I can’t see any future that involves us ignoring this…” Alice chimed, glancing warily at Rosalie and Jasper now, knowing both of them were so sure of what they needed to do that there wasn’t any possible future that involved us turning our back on this incident.

 

A loud bang rang through the room, making mama and I jump as we frowned at Rosalie, who had smacked her palm on the surface of the table and was glaring at the two of us now, “Whether this _human_ ,” she sneered the word tauntingly, refusing to even acknowledge my stepsister’s name; my hair bristled angrily, but mama tightened her hand warningly around mine, “Is trustworthy or not is not relevant, it’s too risky to allow her to walk free. You didn’t grow up completely with her, Dawn, and you can’t know someone well if you’ve lived apart most of your lives. Carlisle,” she turned to her father, “You must see the danger here, even if we were to disappear, it isn’t safe to leave stories behind. Our life is vastly different from the rest of our kind as is and you know there are those who would just love an excuse to point fingers the first chance they get. We have to be so much more careful than the others.”

 

“We’ve left rumors behind before.” Edward spoke up, earning Rosalie’s glare once more.

 

“Yes, but those were just rumors and suspicions, Edward!” She snipped, baring her perfect white teeth, “We never left any eyewitnesses or evidence to back them up!”

 

“What evidence could possibly be left that we didn’t cover up?” I frowned, gritting my jaw, “Because I’m pretty sure I didn’t see any evidence left behind at the scene of the accident. Thank you, Emmett, by the way.”

 

Emmett gave me a faint smile, nodding to accept my thanks as Jasper nodded silently along with Rosalie, his eyes steely. Carlisle frowned deeply at the two, knitting his eyebrows.

 

“Rose –“

 

“Let me finish, Carlisle,” Rosalie held a finger up to stop him, giving him and mama a compelling look, “What happens doesn’t have to be any kind of big deal. The girl hit her head when Edward saved her, right? So maybe we just make that injury turn out more serious than it initially looked.” She gave a slow, nonchalant shrug, ignoring the glare I sent her way, “Every human that sleeps runs the risk of never waking up. The others would expect us to clean up our messes, just like they would have had to. Technically,” she leaned forward over the table, pinning Edward and I with a hard stare, “This would make it Edward and Dawn’s job, but _obviously_ this is beyond them.” She returned her attention to Carlisle, “But you know I’m capable of control. I wouldn’t leave any evidence behind.”

 

“Yes Rosalie, we’re all aware of just how proficient an assassin you are,” Edward snarled, a low sound from deep in his throat; her eyes snapped back toward him, a hiss escaping from between her clenched teeth.

 

“Edward, please,” Carlisle shot Edward a look, telling him to cool it before he turned to Rosalie, “Rosalie, I purposefully turned a blind eye back in Rochester because I believed you deserved some kind of justice for what those men did to you. This situation, though, is different. Isabella Swan is an innocent. Not to mention a part of Elizabeth and Dawn’s family.”

 

“It isn’t anything personal, Carlisle,” Rosalie said through gritted teeth, “It’s to keep us all safe.”

 

“That’s about as believable as saying my kicking your prissy little ass five ways to Sunday for pulling on my tail is nothing personal, queeny.” I growled lowly; Emmett stifled a laugh behind his hand as Rosalie’s eyes snapped to me, flashing angrily as she visibly bristled. A few others around the table seemed to relax a bit at the familiar antics, a faint smile tugging at the corners of Edward’s lips. It wasn’t a secret Rosalie and I did not get along all that well, considering we had vastly different personalities. We managed to remain civil through most of our interactions, but on a hot button topic like this, all bets were off. The others knew we wouldn’t ever get physical, not really, but the barbs were flying.

 

Carlisle was the only one who didn’t give a visible response, his expression thoughtfully as he carefully compiled his answer. He could understand Rosalie’s concern for the safety of their coven, but when it came to the sanctity of human life, he didn’t compromise. _Ever._

 

“I know you mean well, Rosalie,” Carlisle said in a soft, clear voice, drawing our attention again, “But I would like very much to have a family here worth protecting. Unfortunately for us, the occasional…accident or lapse in judgement is a regrettable part of who we are.” It was always funny hearing him include himself in the plural, even though I was sure, out of all of the vampires assembled, he was the only one who never had to worry about such a lapse, “But to murder an innocent young woman, our friend’s family,” he indicated mama and I, “Is another thing entirely. The risk Bella presents, whether she remains quiet or not, is nothing compared to the greater risk. If we start to make exceptions in order to protect ourselves, we risk losing something much more important…the essence of who we are.”

 

I could feel my respect for Carlisle swell greatly in my chest, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips at his wise words. Mama gave him a gentle look, nodding her agreement as she put her free hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

 

“Well said, Carlisle.”

 

“It’s just being responsible.” Rosalie growled from the other end of the table, scowling at Carlisle and mama.

 

“No, murdering in cold blood is being callous,” Mama said flatly, giving Rosalie a disproving look similar to the one she would give my brothers or I when we were in the middle of a temper tantrum as children. Carlisle nodded his head in agreement. “Eliza is right, every life is precious.”

 

Pushing her bottom lip out in a pout, Rosalie flopped back in her chair, sliding down a little, reminding me of a child who’d been denied a treat they wanted. Emmett pat her shoulder, whispering reassuringly to her.

 

“The question we’re presented with now, though,” Carlisle continued, sighing heavily, “is whether it is time to move on?”

 

“No…” Rosalie groaned, “No, we just got settled in here and I don’t want to have to start my sophomore year all over again!”

 

“You could keep your current age.” Carlisle pointed out, but Rosalie was shaking her head again, “If we did that, we would have to move that much sooner.” She sighed, earning a shrug in return. Rosalie’s lips pursed, “But I like it here! There isn’t a lot of sun and we get to be almost normal.”

 

“Well, we don’t have to decide anything now,” Carlisle told her consolingly, “We could wait and find out if moving is necessary. Edward, Dawn, and Elizabeth seem certain of Bella’s silence.”

 

Rosalie rolled her eyes, unconvinced, and gave a very unladylike snort, before she opened her mouth to reply. Her voice, however, faded to the background as I turned my attention from her to the still form behind her; no matter how angry she was or how much she didn’t like it, Rosalie would follow Carlisle’s decision. She was no longer a threat.

 

Jasper, however, was not moved; his expression remained stony, but his eyes were still bright, resolute in his decision. He wasn’t backing down on this, no matter what Carlisle said. Common after the first couple centuries he’d spent as a vampire in a combat zone, constantly on the alert, ready to fight at a second’s notice. He didn’t flout the rules, no matter how small…he’s seen the consequences of doing so too many times to allow something like this to go easily.

 

“Jasper.” Edward’s voice intermixed with mine as we spoke the vampires name, drawing his attention; he met mine, then Edward’s gaze, slowly, keeping his expression blank.

 

“I won’t allow her to pay for my mistake.” Edward told him quietly.

 

“She’ll benefit from it, then?” Jasper crossed his arms, tight, over his chest, “She should have died in that accident today, Edward. I’m just setting it right.”

 

“I –“ Edward began in a taut voice.

 

 _“WE_ will not allow it.” I broke in quickly, giving Jasper a hard look, pressing my lips tightly. Jasper glanced at me, blinking slowly then. Obviously, he’d expected mama and I to fight, to protect Bella, but he hadn’t thought Edward would be on our side, too. His eyebrows furrowed deeply over his eyes before he shook his head once.

 

“I won’t let Alice live in any kind of danger.” He told us quietly, “Neither of you understand what I feel for her nor have either of you lived through what I have.”

 

“Neither of us are disputing that, Jasper…” Edward told him slowly, his own eyebrows knitting into a serious line, “But I – we’re,” he looked at me for a moment as I nod, “not going to allow you to hurt Isabella Swan.”

 

Jasper eyed Edward and I silently, narrowing his eyes in thought, his expression not quite hostile but, rather, contemplative, analyzing. He was measuring us up, his opposition. There was a shift in the air, a nonphysical probing as he tested our mood, our determination.

 

“Jazz.” Alice’s voice broke through the tense bubble, drawing out attention; I turned my head to look at her, inclining one ear in her direction while the other stayed trained on Jasper. He held Edward’s gaze for a moment longer, then broke it to look at her, furrowing his brows.

 

“Alice, please…I already know you can protect yourself. But that isn’t why I’m doing this –“

 

“I’m not going to mention anything like that.” Alice frowned at him, pursing her lips, “I was just going to ask for a favor.”

 

My eyebrows rose in surprise at the request, having not quiet expected it as Edward let out a low, audible gasp, obviously already reading what was going through her mind. I looked at him then, furrowing my brows before turning back to stare at Alice as the rest of the table was eyeing him silently.

 

“Jazz…I know you love me and want to protect me, but I would really appreciate it if you didn’t try to kill Bella.” Alice sighed heavily, “First of all, you know Edward and Dawn are both serious about protecting her, not to mention Elizabeth, and I don’t want the four of you fighting. Second, she’s my friend…or she’s going to be, at least.”

 

Mama turned to stare at Alice in surprise as I blinked slowly at her words, both my ears inclining toward her with interest. Edward was still staring blankly at her, still evidently engrossed in whatever image was on her mind. Was it an image of Bella’s future…would she and Edward -?

 

“But Alice…” Jasper began, taken aback by her words; I peered at him out of the corner of my eye, noticing his had widened, his mouth slackening in surprise. Alice looked stern as I looked back at her.

 

“I’m going to love her someday, Jazz, just as much as Dawn here does.” Her cold fingers tightened around my hand under the table as her small brows furrowed into a single line. “And I’m going to be very put out with you if you don’t leave Bella be.”

 

The determination of his decision wavered in Jasper’s eyes as he stared silently at his wife, expression torn as he considered her words. Alice let out a slow breath as something shifted behind her eyes, the vision in her mind changing with his indecision.

 

“You see? Bella isn’t going to say anything. There isn’t anything to worry about.”

 

The way she uttered my stepsister’s name, the gentle tone of her voice so effortlessly allowing it to escape her lips was surprisingly comforting. The sound of it eased some of the tension from my shoulders, my muscles unclenching with the subconscious knowledge that Bella was going to be okay, that she would be safe. Alice wouldn’t talk Jasper down like this unless she was sure things were going to be okay.

 

“Alice,” Edward’s voice was choked as he forced her name out, drawing our attention now, “What…does this….?”

 

“I told you there was a change coming.” Alice told him softly, frowning gently at her brother, “But, honestly, I don’t know entirely, Edward…there are still things that could cloud it.” Her jaw locked then, eyes glazing again, visions flashing behind her iris. Mama leaned around me to look at her, frowning quietly as we waited to see if she would mention anything about it until Edward gave an irritated huff, his eyes hard as he glared at her.

 

“What, Alice?” His voice was low, but still strained, “What are you trying to hide?”

 

Emmett grumbled irritably from the other end of the table; he’d always hated when Alice and Edward had conversations only they could hear. The rest of us looked between the two, quietly observant as she shook her head slowly, deliberately, telling him to keep out.

 

“Is it about the girl?” Edward’s voice was hard, demanding now, “Is it about Bella?”

 

Alice gritted her teeth in concentration, obviously doing her best to keep Edward from seeing what she didn’t want him to see, but at the mention of my stepsister’s name, her control slipped, expression slackening for the smallest hint of a second, long enough for him to see. His eyes immediately widened, stretching into saucers as he leapt to his feet, toppling his chair backward onto the floor with a loud _bang_.

 

“NO!”

 

“Edward!” Carlisle was on his feet in a flash beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder with a concerned frown. Edward’s focus, however, remained completely on Alice, as though nothing else in the world mattered to him at that moment except for her.

 

“It’s solidifying…” Alice whispered, her voice breathy, “Every minute you’re more decided, Edward, there are really only two ways left for her now. It’s one way or the other.” Edward had started shaking his head in refusal even before she’d finished speaking.

 

“No…” There was no volume to his voice now, the word escaping on a broke whisper as he braced his hands on the table, as though he was ready to collapse at any second.

 

“Will somebody please let the rest of us in on the mystery?” Emmett complained with an uncharacteristic frown. Edward was shaking his head again.

 

“I have to leave…” He whispered, directing it more at Alice than anyone else, drowning out the rest of us.

 

“We’ve already been over that, Edward,” Emmet broke in loudly, “That’s the best way you’ll get the girl to start talking. Besides, if you were to take off, we wouldn’t know for sure if she’s talking or not. You need to stay here and deal with this.”

 

“I don’t see you going anywhere, Edward,” Alice pointed out softly. “And I don’t think you have it in you to anymore.” She raised her eyebrows pointedly, as though telling him to think about leaving this time around. Edward’s expression tightened, pain evident in his eyes at the thought of having to leave her behind again.

 

Another moment passed as Alice spoke to Edward in her mind and he analyzed Bella’s future. Mama and I looked at one another silently, wondering whether to interfere now or not when Edward spoke up again.

 

“I don’t hear that, not anymore…” He murmured, shaking his head once more, obviously disputing her argument, “Besides, even if I left, Bella would still have Elizabeth, Dawn, and the twins to protect her.”

 

Alice gave Edward a hard look, as though scolding him; he groaned, dropping his head into his hands, “Why are you doing this to me….?” Her expression softened, just the slightest bit, understanding edging the corners of her eyes as she smiled faintly; whatever she said gave Edward pause and he slowly lifted his head, eyes wide again, “Love her, too…?” His whisper was incredulous.

 

My own eyes widened, and I look at Alice in surprise, “He’s really going to…?” She looked at me out of the corner of her eye, smiling faintly once more and nodding. I let go of mama’s hand to thump the table triumphantly with my fist, a smile stretching my lips wide, “I knew it! I knew this was going to happen, there was no way you’d be so interested in Bella if it wasn’t that! Hell, if I knew this was going to happen, I would have introduced you to her earlier! This is fantastic!”

 

“No, it isn’t…” Edward frowned, his voice strained once more, horrified, “No, I….I don’t have to follow the course Alice sees, I’ll…I’ll leave. I will change the future.”

 

“You can try.” Alice sighed, shaking her head skeptically. Mama cocked her head.

 

“Edward….if I’m guessing this correctly, then doing something like that is not going to help you. Love works in mysterious ways, you know.” Her expression was soft, understanding, as she gave him a gentle look, “No matter how much you might try to fight it, it’s going to inevitably happen, just as the sun will always rise.”

 

“What?” Emmett spoke up, startled now, blinking as he let this news sink in while Rosalie rolled her eyes, making a gagging noise, “This is just so classically Edward….” She hissed under her breath, folding her arms angrily over the top of the table as Emmett let out a great, booming laugh. “Is that what’s going on? Oh man…” He shook his head, still laughing, “Tough break, Edward.”

 

Emmett was on his feet now, coming over to put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, only for it to be promptly shrugged off.

 

“Love…” Esme said slowly, stunned herself as she looked between mama, Alice, and I before turning on Edward, her eyes widening in realization, “You’re falling in love with her?”

 

“What exactly do you see, Alice?” Jasper demanded, turning on her now; she lifted her gaze to him, then let out a slow breath, “It will all depend on whether he’s strong enough to resist the temptation of her blood or not. Either he’ll kill her himself,” she turned a glare on Edward now, “Which would really irritate me, Edward, not to mention destroy you –“ She took a slow breath, calming, “or Bella will one day become one of us.”

 

“Oh my.” Mama had put a hand over her mouth as Esme pulled in a quick breath, her eyes wide. Edward whipped his head back and forth, insistent.

 

“That’s not going to happen!” He shouted, baring his grit teeth at the table, “Either one!”

 

Alice ignored him now, “Like I said, it will all depend. He might just be strong enough not to kill her…but it will be very close. It will take an incredible amount of control…” She paused for a moment, thoughtful, “Possibly even more than Carlisle has. He might just be strong enough…the only thing he won’t be strong enough to do is stay away from her, though. That’s now a lost cause.”

 

The room went still in that moment as everyone let this news sink in, each absorbed in their own thoughts; Carlisle glanced between Esme and mama, who looked at him and each other quietly before he cleared his throat.

 

“Well…this certainly complicated things.”

 

A few people nodded as mama cocked her head, “Perhaps it would make things easier if someone was with them…the last couple of times Edward almost lost control, Dawn was there to keep him in check.”

 

“I’m not a chaperon….” I sighed, happy to know things were going the way I’d hoped, but still not liking the idea of having to dog the couple’s every step.

 

“No, you’re not,” Carlisle gave me a gentle look, understanding my adversity to being the third wheel in this situation, “But we will need someone there to keep an eye on things, just to be safe. The rest of our plans will remain the same.” He turned to address the rest of the family. “We will stay here and observe. Obviously, no one is allow to hurt the girl.” Edward stiffened at the thought.

 

“No,” Jasper murmured quietly, “I can agree to that…if there are really only two ways for this to go now –“

 

“No!” Edward half growled, half shouted, his voice breaking in the middle in despair, “No!” He suddenly straightened, his expression hard, emotions flicking across them so quickly it was hard to name them at first. Agony and pain were the only two I could pinpoint before he turned his back on all of us, stalking silently from the room. Esme stood, reaching for his arm as he passed her while I got up, too, calling his name; he didn’t react to either of us, though, as he left the dining room. We could all hear his stride quicken as he left through the back door, his footsteps fading under the heavy patter of the rain. Mama sighed, standing up beside me and putting a hand on my shoulder with a soft smile.

 

“It looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us, my sweet *okami no koinu.”

 

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye for a moment, then out into the dark sheets of rain on the other side of the glass wall, nodding in agreement, “Yeah…we really do.” I murmured, putting a hand over hers’, knowing what we needed to do now. Bella was destined to be with Edward, one way or another and we needed to try and help that along as best as we could. She needed to know she’d be safe and looked after, no matter what, even if she ended up rejecting the supernatural, like other humans did.

 

 _(She isn’t like other humans, though.)_ I told myself, feeling the smile tug at the corners of my lips at the thought, _(No…she’s fantastically different from the rest. Just like Charlie. She can handle something like this. I know it.)_

 

It was time to introduce her to our world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> *Wolf pup


	5. Invitations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooo my fellow pack members,
> 
> I am so so SO sorry for taking so long to post, but, you know, rl has been chaotic over the last couple of months, so I haven't been able to write as much as I would, which put me behind in getting this chapter up. But, never fear, it is done, it is up, I will not be letting this story die, I promise. This is one of the stories I enjoy writing the most, so I'm not going to be giving it up easy, I promise. I won't bore any of you much longer, but I promise I will try to update a lot faster than this, at least once a month, all right? 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the latest chapter of The Life of Dawn Swan and thank you all for sticking with it this long. You guys are amazing :)
> 
> Your alpha, ScarletMarieLeaf

It would be a very long, torturous six weeks that followed the day of the accident….the discussion our family had afterward had left a great impression on Edward, especially since he knew he needed to stay here, now more than ever. He played his part, just as he always did, he took care of his responsibilities like he always had: attended school with the rest of us, listened to the thoughts of the other students to find out if there was any news about his family. Thankfully for him, however, there was nothing new aside from the usual rumors and stories; just as mama and I knew, Bella didn’t bring up her suspicions to any of our fellow classmates. Even if she’d wanted, whenever anyone asked her for details of the accident, they were more interested in knowing how she’d managed to evade death as she had, especially since none of them had seen either Edward or I with her until after the van had been moved. It wouldn’t be long until her eager listeners would get bored of the story and move on with life; what little danger there was to be had passed as quickly as it had come.

 

And yet, even after things calmed down, Edward remained adamant about his decision to change the future; even with Alice warning that he wouldn’t be able to stay away from Bella anymore, he was stubborn enough to try, to the point that he did everything he could to avoid being around her when he didn’t have to be. He kept her at a distance just like he did others, having stopped speaking to her in Biology, only acknowledging her once the day after the accident when she greeted him first before giving her the cold shoulder. She stopped trying to talk to him again after that.

 

The rest of the Cullens gave the pair a wide berth as well; none of them attempted to make contact with Bella, not even Alice, although she was the most eager out of all of them to make friends with her. I did my part to try and keep things going as smoothly as I was able, working behind the scenes to keep Edward calm and convince him to try and let his barrier down, just a little, while mama and I tried to steer Bella toward what she needed to know about us without saying anything aloud ourselves. I’d started leaving my grandfather’s handwritten guidebook to the supernatural out in the open for her to see every day, occasionally mixing it up in her school bag by ‘accident’, hoping she would grow interested enough to read it on her own. Unfortunately, though, the commotion that had kicked up from the accident and Edward’s cold demeanor kept Bella otherwise preoccupied, so she never gave the book more than a passing glance now and again. I didn’t think her losing sleep over him was helping matters any either…she must be having nightmares or dreams about Edward or something, since it was making her increasingly aware of him as time went by; there wasn’t a day that passed when I didn’t notice her watching him, always from a distance in the parking lot or the cafeteria. In class, she treated him as invisibly as he treated her while the bags that had begun to appear under her eyes became increasing prominent until they almost rivaled the Cullens’. It became increasing frustrating to watch, especially knowing how the separation made both of them miserable…

 

Mama did what she could to help Bella, offering her consolation when she got the chance, although Bella was still very much reluctant to accept t, which was not entirely surprising, considering she wouldn’t even open up to her own mother, who had noticed the change herself, even just though emails. She’d called the house on more than one occasion over the weeks and even tried to call Charlie, mama, and I on our cell phones to check in on Bella. We had to reassure her things were okay at least a dozen times before she was calm enough to hang up.

 

Not surprisingly, though, the obvious coolness between Edward and Bella had caught the attention of her human suitors, especially Mike, since he shared our Biology class, and knowing he had one less rival to fight for her affections gave the boy much more confidence. He continued to walk Bella to her classes, he had even started offering to carry her books and, in the week that followed the accident, he’s grown comfortable enough to sit on the edge of her and Edward’s Biology table to table to Bella before our lessons started, ignoring Edward as completely as he ignored the pair of them. I was the only one who really noticed the torment this caused the vampire as he watched someone else get close to the woman his dead heart was yearning for. I was the only one who knew enough to read the signs, the one who knew his body language enough to know when something was wrong, the way his hands would clench in his lap while his steadily darkening eyes darted irritably in Mike’s direction, his jaw clenching tightly as he watched the other talk so easily to my step-sister, picking her apart piece by piece and unlocking her secrets, even though I was sure Edward wished he could be the one to do that himself. He was still learning everything he could about her through the conversations the two had, he learned about how kind and unselfish Bella was, he learned how good a person she had grown up to be as a result of living with her mother, but I could see he still wished he could be the one who could talk to her so easily, instead of someone who probably didn’t really appreciate all those good qualities of hers as well as he would. I couldn’t even imagine the things Edward wanted to do to Mike while he got closer to Bella and I worried sometimes if he would unintentionally lash out whenever I noticed a mischievous twinkle in Edward’s eye while his lips would twitch upward into a faint, unnoticeable smile.

 

And yet, I knew things between Mike and Bella weren’t the only things that made staying away from her so difficult…Edward was still curious about her, curious about the kind of person she was and why she seemed so different from other humans, why she seemed to stick out of a crowd unlike others. He wanted to know her for himself…he wanted to get close to her, even though he knew he couldn’t since it was still so dangerous. It drove him mad like nothing else ever had before…not knowing how to get through to someone like he had everyone else he’d known or how to handle someone like her. I think the only thing that really saved Edward from completely breaking down or breaking his silence when he was around her was the way he knew she stared at him, the way he knew she still even acknowledged his presence nowadays, even though he probably chalked it up to her wondering what he was…what his story was, just as the rest of the student body did. He didn’t think she would think of him as anything else but a freak.

 

I sighed to myself at these thoughts for what felt like the millionth time since everything had gone down, leaning my head in my hand as I stabbed absent-mindedly at the pile of pasta on my lunch tray; Alice hummed quietly as she sat in a chair behind me, running her nails gently through my hair as she braided it.

 

“Everyone look alive, Bella’s going to stare at Edward in a minute.” Alice announced quietly as I took a bite of my pasta, smacking a bottle cap back across the table with my spork; it bounced off Emmett’s stomach, which shook with silent laughter. Rosalie rolled her eyes at our antics while Jasper looked amused, flicking the bottle cap back toward me as Emmett chuckled under his breath and Edward followed the little plastic cap across the table with his eyes, the ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. It always pleased him knowing Bella still even glanced in his direction, especially since she hadn’t stopped doing so since the last time she spoke to him. I hit the bottle cap back to Jasper as Alice sighed wistfully behind us, earning a frown from Edward.

 

“Stay out of it, Alice,” He muttered under his breath, his voice and eyes dark, “It isn’t going to happen.” I could almost feel Alice sag against me in defeat, although her lithe hands didn’t stop their administrations to my hair. I flicked an invisible ear in amusement, knowing she was more than eager to get to know my stepsister for real and become close friends with her, just as she’d envisioned. Edward shrugged then, obviously having one of his conversations with Alice the rest of us would only be able to hear his half of.

 

“Makes perfect sense to me.” He pointed out, turning away from Alice as she gave a quiet, delicate snort while he began to crush the cookie on his tray, his shoulders rigid. I could guess the reason behind it, knowing there was a Girls’ Choice Dance just a few short weeks away that Mike had been hoping Bella would invite him to, even though I knew Jessica very much wanted him to attend it with her. Hell, she’d called Bella last night to make sure it was okay to ask him and see if she would be attending the dance herself. Due to her natural clumsiness, Bella had told her she wouldn’t be going and encouraged Jessica to ask Mike to go. Not like Jessica had even really tried to convince her to come, anyway, since I knew she only hung out with her because she was popular…just a little pilot fish following a shark around for a quick meal…it didn’t help matters that Mike had asked Jessica to give him the chance to think about her invitation since he was still waiting to see if Bella was going to ask him herself and didn’t want to risk going to a dance without a date if he outright refused her. Honestly…I hated the damn drama in high school, just say yes or no and don’t lead a girl on for crying out loud…especially if she was going to blame my stepsister for her misery. I swear I wanted to just smack Mike and tell him to take Jessica to the dance instead of just being so wishy washy and putting Bella in the middle of all this so Jessica would just leave her alone…I was having a hard enough time not storming over to their lunch table and snatching Bella away to safety to escape Jessica’s harsh glares. All I could do now was glare at her from across the cafeteria myself, flashing my eyes in warning when she caught my gaze, which made an uncomfortable frown flash across her face as she immediately turned away again while I smirked. Yeah, not so damned tough when someone challenged your bullshit, were you?

 

It was a quiet between Edward and I as we left he cafeteria after lunch and crossed the grounds to the Biology building; no doubt he was listening in on Mike’s thoughts as he and Bella followed us not long after to class. I watched his face scrunch tightly in a mask of irritation and jealousy, pulling his eyebrows together into a single line over the bridge of his nose, causing creases in his forehead and temples, frown lines deepening around the corners of his mouth, which was pressed so tightly together his lips were even whiter than usual. I sighed quietly to myself, letting my gaze sweep over the dead lawns, the grass so brown it nearly blended in with the muddy ground. Rain had washed away the last of the snow and ice for good after that one accident more than a month ago. Well, at least we didn’t have to worry about another van trying to crush Bella….or her splitting her skull open trying to navigate the icy terrain.

 

“Dawn, ten o’clock.” Edward’s voice caught my attention then, drawing me from my thoughts as I turned to him, blinking in confusion.

 

“What are you -?”

 

“Hey, Dawn!”

 

I tensed at the familiar voice behind us, finally catching onto what Edward had been trying to warn me about as a large, warm hand came down on my shoulder. Oh man, not right now…

 

“Hey Tyler,” I turned to face him, smiling half-heartedly in reply to the beaming smile he was directing at me, tilting my head back a little to look at him since he was a bit taller than I was. Edward’s footsteps filtered, just slightly, as though he was going to wait for me, but I silently told him to just go on ahead, promising I could handle this on my own. There was a second of hesitation before he continued onto the science building while I focused my attention on the young man in front of me, “What’s up?”

 

Tyler cocked his head, totally oblivious to the silent conversation between Edward and I, “Just wanted to catch you before class to talk to you a little bit.” He continued to smile brightly at me while I cocked my head, quirking a brow and crossed my arms, “We just talked in Gym earlier…we were on the same two man badminton team.” I reminded him, watching in amusement as he rubbed his neck, chuckling and nodding in agreement, “Yeah, I know, but that’s kinda been the only time we’ve been able to talk this year, you know?”

 

“Hm, true…well, until recently.” I hum to myself in thought; like most of the other kids in this school, I’d known Tyler since we were in kindergarten, so we’d hung out once in a while in class or clubs we’d both been a part of. The two of us had even hung out for a while during our freshmen and sophomore years when we’d both been apart of the basketball teams, which usually shared the Gym for practice. I’d thought of joining again this year but decided against it, so I could focus on getting Bella accustomed to living in Forks, meaning I hadn’t gotten the chance to hang out with a lot of the friends I’d made on either the boys’ or girls’ teams, including Tyler. We’d still talk during our Gym class, of course, but otherwise Tyler gave me my space while I was helping my stepsister out, although things seemed to have changed over the last month and half. Since the accident, Tyler had been coming around more often, sometimes seeking me out to talk or offering to hang out after school. The Cullens had been making bets about when they thought he was going to ask me out…well, except maybe Edward, since he was still preoccupied with his own dilemma at the moment. Alice had guessed he would bring up the Girls’ Choice Dance in hopes I would invite him as my date.

 

Well, as much as I loved music and dancing, I never really liked school dances much since I didn’t like small, confined spaces or large groups and the music in situations like that was always way too loud for my ears. Tyler was cute, but like I’d told Esme, none of the boys at school had ever really stood out or caught my interest enough for me to try to pursue anything with them. I couldn’t see myself having a future with any of them….Edward had teased me a couple of times about being a heartbreaker since I’d been asked out by guys since middle school and turned them all down, but there was really no point in stringing someone along if you didn’t have feelings for them in return. Sometimes it was best to rip the band-aid off and be honest with someone instead of giving them false hope and wasting their time when they could find a real partner, someone who could give them a happier and more fulfilling life.

 

“Yeah, well…things haven’t really been the same at practice without you around, I’ve missed us hanging out.” Tyler chuckled, his smile softening as he looked at me, sending a thorn through my heart. Ah geeze, Ty, what the hell were you trying to do to me, huh? Like this wasn’t hard enough… “I’ve actually wanted to do that more when we’re not busy with school or practice, though, you know? Maybe go do something together, just the two of us?”

 

“Like…just hanging out oooor….?” I quirked a brow, hoping he would pick up what I was trying to say; he chuckled again, “A date? Maybe, or we could save that for the dance coming up. I’m not going with anyone else yet.”

 

I sighed deeply, adjusting the strap of my messenger bag over my shoulder, “Tyler, you know I’m not really into school dances, it’s just too….confining…besides, even if I wanted to, I work at the animal shelter on the weekends. If I tried to call out or leave early, there wouldn’t be anyone else to cover for me since Martha and Thomas are off on their honeymoon and Jason’s on vacation in Florida…it’s pretty much just me and Annie there right now.”

 

“What about trying to go out during the week?” Tyler asked, undeterred. I had to fight very hard not to let my head drop forward in exasperation, “I’ve gotta be on call during the week until Jason gets back in case Annie needs help or gets sick. Maybe you should try someone else, Tyler…I’m sure there are plenty of girls who would want to ask you to that dance…probably someone you could have a real blast with.”

 

“Hm,” Tyler looked thoughtful, his head cocked, eerily reminding me of some of the dogs at the shelter whenever they heard one of their trigger words, like ‘treat’ or ‘walk’, an easy smile on his lips, “I’m sure I could, but I don’t really think I’d have as much fun with anyone else as I would with you.”

 

“That had to be the cheesiest thing I think I’ve ever heard in my entire life.” Despite myself, I laughed, my ears warming at the compliment, especially as Tyler’s smile only seemed to grow instead of shrink. He shrugged, obviously nonplussed, “Well, it’s true, D, you make things interesting, you know? But, I get it, you’re busy with work and family issues. I’m sure I could get that date another time and, hey, we have prom, too.” The warning bell sounded as I opened my mouth to say something, making Tyler glance up before he smiled at me out of the corner of his mouth, already pivoting on his heel in the direction of building three, “Better get going before we both get into trouble. I’ll catch up with you later, Dawn. Be sure to say hey to your sister for me, okay?”

 

“O….kay?” I watched him go for a moment, frowning to myself as I processed what had just happened. Well, there was something to be said for Tyler’s character if he was still so determined after I’d turned down his offer for a date, for both the dance and otherwise. I’d always known he’d been stubborn and confident given the right circumstances, but this was ridiculous…for one, I didn’t have the time or energy for dating or romantic relationships at this very moment and, even if I did, Tyler wasn’t exactly at the top of the list of potential partners out there for me. He was a cool dude, sure, I liked hanging out with him, but I just couldn’t see him as anything more than a friend…why he couldn’t get that through his thick head, I would never know…

 

The second bell sent me running for the door to my own class and I was in the science building in a flash, my coat hung up and my butt in my chair before Mr. Banner had turned around to do roll call. Thanking my lucky stars for my supernatural speed for times like these, I set about getting my books out and chanced a glance to my right to check in on Edward and Bella; to my surprise, Edward was turned away from me, his face turned toward my stepsister instead of away just as it had been over the last month and a half. I quirked a brow as I watched Bella look up, catching his gaze and holding it as he stared at her intensely, his gaze probing as he looked deep into her big, chocolate brown eyes. Her gaze was more inquisitive, questioning than his was, curious as to what could have possibly caught his attention while blood began to pool in her cheeks, turning them a faint pink. I watched the pair with fascination, wondering what could have possibly changed. Had something finally tipped Edward over the edge, pushed him in one of the directions Alice knew he would go, one of the two futures she had foreseen for Bella after he’d rescued her? It certainly seemed like it….

 

“Mr. Cullen.” Mr. Banner’s voice broke my thoughts, cutting through Edward and Bella’s moment as he inadvertently pulled them back to reality while he searched for an answer to a question I was sure none of us had really heard; Edward tore his gaze reluctantly from Bella’s, moving impossibly slower than usually as he turned his attention on our teacher, sucking in a quick breath to answer.

 

“The Krebs Cycle.” He answered, almost automatically, like he was on auto pilot. His face twisted into a familiar expression of discomfort as Bella’s scent filled his senses, burning down his throat; his body coiled instinctively in response, his jaw tightening as his eyes slipped closed while he reined in his desire. I frowned quietly, watching Bella drop her head, allowing her hair to create a curtain between them, just as usual, her way of hiding when she was nervous or anxious. I couldn’t say I blamed her, especially after witnessing just how intense Edward had been just now after weeks of him being cold to her. It was a drastic change, especially since I knew he’d been all but determined to change the future and not be a part of her life anymore than he’d already been. Looked like that plan was now out the window, to say the least….

 

I kept a close eye on Edward and Bella over the next hour, reading every little movement, every emotion that flickered across their faces, or what I could see of them, since neither of them were turned in my direction; Bella kept her attention forward, shielding the view of her face with her hair while Edward had returned his attention to her, staring intently, evidently deep in thought, going over his options from here. He remained just as stiff as he’d always been, the only indication of his internal struggle the occasional twitch of his fingers from under the desk, clamped tight around his knees, the muscles stretching and flexing as he tightened and loosened his grip. He was realizing just how pointless it was for him to fight the future anymore, wavering between the rock and the hard place, the only two paths forward left laid out before him. No doubt his monster was taking pleasure in his pain and in the knowledge that those two futures gave it a chance at what it craved, the blood it so desired.

 

Well…mama and I had always known there was bound to be a risk when it came to including my stepfather and sister in our world despite them being humans, so we knew we’d needed to take precautions to be sure they would be safe. Edward and Bella’s situation was similar to mama and Charlie’s, meaning we could take a leaf out of their book in figuring out how to handle it properly...after adding a few extra steps, just to be sure it worked effectively.

 

When the bell rang to signal the end of the period, I swept all my things into my bag, watching the couple out of the corner of my eye closely to see what would happen; Bella had her back toward Edward as she gathered her own things. No doubt she was expecting him to leave straight away like he usually did.

 

“Bella?” Edward’s voice was quiet, unsure, but steady as he attempted to catch her attention, like he’d spoken involuntarily. She froze at his voice, as though surprised, before turning slowly around to face him. Her face was schooled into a hard expression, guarded, while her eyes betrayed her distrust as she took in his face, the frown on her lips deepening when he didn’t continue.

 

“What is it?” She finally asked after a pause, furrowing her brows, “Are you speaking to me again?” Her tone was as hard as her expression, the waver in the undertone of her voice giving away the pain his silence had caused her. I quirked a brow at the way her tone caused the corners of Edward’s lips to twitch, like he was going to smile, but was fighting against it.

 

“No, not really.” He admitted, raising his shoulders in a half shrug.

 

Frustration flitted across Bella’s features as her eyes slid closed, Edward’s own expression mirroring hers’ then as he watched her pull a slow, deep breath through her nose; I noticed her jaw tighten, the corner under her ear dipping inward, and I knew she’d just grit her teeth, as though she was steadying herself. She didn’t open her eyes again when she spoke.

 

“Then what do you want, Edward?” She murmured tightly, missing the way his name escaping her lips caused the vampire to stiffen, his hair standing on end like he’d just received a static shock. I watched in amusement as he took a moment before answering, like he was putting the pieces of his mind back together.

 

“I’m sorry.” His voice had softened to show his sincerity, his head cocking as he watched her eyes open at his words to peer up at the serious look on his face, “I know I’m being very rude, but…you should know, things are better this way…”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed then, lips pursing as her expression was still wary, “I don’t know what you mean…” she answered slowly, voice tight, guarded.

 

Edward spoke gently, like he was attempting to explain something very complex to another who didn’t quite seem able to comprehend it yet, “It’s better if we aren’t friends.” He explained gently, the hope underlying his voice that she would be able to understand evident to anyone who was actively listening for it. “Trust me.”

 

I had to fight the urge to facepalm then and there as I watched my stepsister’s eyes tighten angrily, remembering when Edward had said the same thing to her before he’d broken his promise at the hospital. He flinched at the almost audible grit of her teeth against one another at the memory.

 

“Too bad you didn’t figure all this out earlier.” She hissed out from between her clenched teeth, straightening herself as much as she was able to put on a more formidable air, “Then maybe you could’ve saved yourself all this regret.”

 

Bella’s words took Edward and I aback, to the point he turned to stare at me in surprise, blinking slowly as I frowned at my step-sister, “What….regret are you talking about, Bella…?”

 

Bella pursed her lips angrily, pinning Edward with a glare, “His, for not letting that stupid van squish me!”

 

Edward froze beside me, his body tensing as his hands clenched, knuckles cracking just quietly enough for my ears to be able to pick up the noise.

 

“You think I regret saving your life?” He growled, his voice low, but controlled; Bella jerked her chin up defiantly to meet his gaze, “I know you do.”

 

“Bella –“ I started, trying to calm the situation down when Edward let out a low, angry growl, “You don’t know anything.”

 

Bella’s eyes blazed angrily, and she jerked her face away from him, her jaw so tight I was afraid her teeth were going to crack under the pressure as her cheeks flushed red in anger; slamming her books into a pile, she yanked them into her arms and marched toward the door, obviously attempting to sweep dramatically from the room. However, lacking the grace and charisma for something like that, Bella was not paying attention to where she was going and was tripped up at the lip of the doorway, making her stumble and drop everything in her arms. She tensed instead of immediately bending to retrieve them, her back rigid as her face was turned away from the classroom, as though contemplating whether it would be worth it to gather her things together again. After a moment, she let out a slow sigh and bent to retrieve them while Edward flitted to her side and I glanced around to be there was no one was watching. Thankfully for us, most of our other classmates were otherwise engaged amongst themselves; it looked as though Mike had slipped out at some point instead of waiting for Bella like usual….more than likely he’d talked to her about things with Jessica and the Girls’ Choice Dance, only to end up being shot down. I guess the human guys in this school couldn’t get much of a break today, could they….?

 

Shaking my head free of these thoughts, I moved to join Edward at the door, letting my gaze drift off in the direction Bella had stormed off before we headed out into the cold air together; the parking lot was on the way to the Spanish building, so most days Edward and I would walk together and talk….usually, when his mind wasn’t preoccupied with my stepsister. He was staring off into space as though off in his own little world, although today there was something different in his expression. It wasn’t quite as murderous or dower as it had been as of late, there was no immovable glower present, but, rather, something softer; the light had returned to his eyes, like a long burnt out fire that had been reignited, filling a statue with life.

 

My phone vibrated in my pocket, drawing my attention as we reached the parking lot and I pulled it out to check the caller ID before answering.

 

“What’s up, Annie?”

 

From the other end of the line, I could hear the telltale signs of the dogs barking and the phone being juggled, “Hey Dawn, I’m sorry to call when you’re at school, but I could really use your help at the shelter. My daughter’s school called to let me know she’s in the nurse’s office with an upset stomach and I really need to go pick her up. I wanted to know if you could come in to cover the rest of my shift and close up for the night?”

 

I frown worriedly at the news, knowing it was really rare for Annie’s daughter to get sick enough to be pulled out of school, “Of course, you know I love working with the dogs. I’m actually done with school for the day, so I’ll drive right over so you can get Sarah home.” I smiled gently as she thanked me gratefully, “No problem, Annie, you know I’m here to help. I’ll see you in a few minutes, okay? Bye. Hey Ed –“ I hung up the phone as I turned to Edward, blinking in surprise when I found myself standing alone by the parking lot, “Where the hell…? Edward?” I scanned the area, spotting Edward’s figure disappearing through the door to the Spanish building a little further on, “Okay, rude. I am _so_ smacking you the next time I see you.” A smile tugged up the corners of my lips in spite of my words, however, and I shook my head as I stuffed my phone back into the pocket of my sweatshirt and crossed the parking lot to my car.

 

Annie was waiting outside the door by the time I pulled up and she ran up to my driver’s side door as I stepped out of my car, “Thank you so much for helping me out, Dawn, you have no idea how grateful I am.”

 

I smiled gently at her, taking the keys to the shelter and hugging the older, auburn-haired woman with one arm, “I’m always glad to help. Now go get Sarah home and in bed, all right? Be sure to give her some of this, too.” I handed her a bottle of ginger ale I’d picked up on the way over, earning a grateful smile in return, “It should help settle her stomach. And tell her big sister Dawn says she hopes she feels better.”

 

“I will.” Annie promised, hurrying to her own car, “I really own you one, Dawn.”

 

I chuckled softly, stuffing my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt, “I’ll hold you to that, Annie.” I joked, waving as she backed out of her parking spot and waiting until she’d driven around the corner out of sight before heading inside. I would only be here for a couple of hours at most since the shelter closed about 5 on weekdays, but I decided to text Bella to let her know where I was, so she could make dinner if she wanted. No use making the rest of the family wait until I got home to eat.

 

There wasn’t much left to be done by the time I got in since Annie had already walked the dogs and made sure they each had food and water, so I was able to get some homework done while I was there. I still double checked to make sure all the dogs were situated and had what they needed, did a quick clean, made sure the office was in order and everything was locked up tight before I headed home for the night. I arrived just after Charlie, who was still hanging up his coat and gun belt as I walked through the front door, the overpowering smell of cooked green peppers, onions, chilis, and chicken hitting me full on in the face as I entered. I rubbed at my nose to dispel the sharp scent of the pepper as I hung up my own coat and put my boots on the shoe rack next to the door, following Charlie across the entrance hall to the kitchen as he sniffed cautiously at the air.

 

Bella had made chicken enchiladas for dinner, which was a nice change of pace since we didn’t often get the chance to eat good Mexican food; the closest restaurant near us was all the way in Seattle, which my mother and brothers liked about as much as I did. Nevertheless, the four of us were grateful to Bella for the meal as we sat down to eat without mama, who had called Charlie and I ahead of time to let us know she wouldn’t be home until 8. It was pretty good, too, just the right mix of chicken with the onions, chilis, and green peppers to where none of them overpowered the others. I wasn’t much for spicy foods, but I enjoyed it and the boys polished off most of the meal themselves, which seemed to please Bella, evident by the faint smile on her lips as she watched our father and brothers finishing up the last of the enchiladas.

 

“Hey, Dad?” She spoke up as we were finishing, making him look up, curious. “Um, I wanted to let you know I was planning on going to Seattle for the day a week from this Saturday, all right?” She hesitated after she finished speaking, as though unsure if she should have worded that differently; I sipped my juice quietly, knowing she wouldn’t have wanted to ask permission nor seem rude in any way when she told him. Charlie cocked his head, curious, his brows furrowing in confusion.

 

“What’s in Seattle, aside from all the big lights and buildings?” He sipped on his beer as Bella pursed her lips, pushing what was left of her food around on her plate with her fork.

 

“Thought about looking into some clothing stores to build up my winter wardrobe, I don’t have a lot of clothes that’re good for this weather.”

 

“Hm, they have some good stores up there where you’ll be able to get some clothes, you still have that money you saved up for a car, right?” I cocked my head as Bella nodded in agreement. Charlie had helped her save a good chunk of change when he’d got her the truck, even if it cost more to fill the gas tank than she anticipated.

 

“Your truck probably doesn’t get very good gas mileage…” Charlie pointed out with a frown, obviously just as worried about that as we were. Bella sighed, nodding again.

 

“I know, but I planned on stopping in Montesano and Olympia, just in case.”

 

“You should probably think about stopping in Tacoma, too.” Geffrey added, earning a grateful nod from Bella in return.

 

“You planning on going by yourself?” Charlie wiped his mouth on his napkin, eyeing Bella worriedly, obviously not comfortable with the idea of her going to such a large city by herself, “Why not take Dawn with you? I’m sure the two of you would have a lot of fun.”

 

“Dawn works at that shelter on the weekends, though, I wouldn’t want to pull her away from work.”

 

“I’m sure I could get someone to cover for me for one day.” I mused, knowing those on vacation at the moment would be back by the time next Saturday rolled around. “I just had to go in today to cover for Annie since Sarah got sick and she promised to pay me back, so I can see if she can cover for me that day. Besides,” I leaned my head against my knuckles, tracing the lip of my cup thoughtfully, “Seattle is a pretty big city, easy to get lost in.”

 

“Phoenix is five times as big as Seattle and I can read a map if I get lost.” Bella quipped with a frown in my direction, “And I thought you didn’t like big cities.”

 

“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I won’t go into one if I need to. I need some new clothes, too.”

 

“If Dawn can’t go, I can, if you want.” Charlie offered; Bella hid her horror at the thought as she turned back to him, quickly shaking her head.

 

“No, that’s okay, Dad, I’ll probably just be in and out of dressing rooms all day, it’d be pretty boring just to sit there while I try on clothes.”

 

“Oh,” I almost laughed at the put off look on Charlie’s face at the thought of sitting in a women’s clothing store for a full day, “Okay…”

 

“Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll make sure I get the day off to go with Bells.” I promised; Charlie smiled gratefully at me, nodding his head before he seemed to remember something.

 

“Will the two of you be back in time for the dance?”

 

Oh right, I’d forgotten in a place this small everyone knew everything that went on, including any and all school functions. I shook my head as Bella pursed her lips, irritated.

 

“Neither of us really like dances, Dad, remember?” I quirked a brow, inclining my head in my stepsister’s direction to remind him of the little problem she had with balance; realization sparked in his eyes and he cleared his throat slowly, giving Bella a quietly apologetic look. She smiled faintly in return and I decided to change the subject as we finished dinner and cleaned up.

 

The rest of the night was fairly peaceful from there; Henry joined Charlie downstairs to watch baseball after he’d finished his homework and Geffrey occupied himself in his room while Bella and I went up to the attic to do our own thing. Mama stopped in around 9 to say goodnight, apologizing to Bella for not being there to enjoy the enchiladas she’d made, although Bella promised she would make them again, which I knew mama looked forward to. Mexican was her favorite food and she always enjoyed it on the rare occasion she could get it.

 

Bella headed to bed not too long after that; I took advantage of the quiet and privacy to take a shower and dried off in front of the TV before I headed up to bed about 10 pm. I woke up a short time later in the middle of the night, feeling something was…off.

 

Rolling onto my right sight, I blinked up at the face of the alarm clock on my bedside table, the bright neon red numbers reading out 1:18 am. I’d been asleep a little more than three hours…what had woken me up?

 

Sitting up, I threw the blankets aside and slipped out of bed, crossing my room to the silhouetted curtains across from me; I’d started to leave the light on over the sink in the kitchenette, so Bella would be able to see at night if she needed to get up for any reason. It lit up a good enough portion of the attic that a human was able to sweep their gaze the length of the long room and notice anything that could be out of place. I frowned to myself, seeing everything looked to be where it should be, everything where I had left it before I’d gone to bed….there was just something…different. Just the smallest change in the air, small enough to be unnoticeable by someone ignorant of the supernatural, a new scent that had invaded a space it hadn’t yet touched.

 

It was a sickly sweet smell, sharp, just like the green peppers, but in its’ very own way, colder, intermixed with the tang of salt and copper that overpowered the faintest scent of designer clothes. The Cullens never came over suddenly like this unless there was an emergency, or they gave us a heads-up first…and I knew for a fact they weren’t scheduled to go hunting until tomorrow after school, which could only mean…

 

 _(Edward…?)_ I turned my head in the direction of Bella’s tower room, my ears inclining forward, listening for even the smallest movement just beyond the curtains, the scent stronger as it wafted from that direction into the rest of the room. _(Edward, I know you’re there, I can smell you.)_ The curtains twitched then, and one side moved, just the smallest bit, to allow a pair of golden eyes to peer out at me from the darkness. I waved my hand, pursing my lips tightly to let him know I wasn’t joking around, **_(Get over here, Edward, now!)_**

 

Letting the curtain fall back into place, I crossed the room again to turn on my lamp and by the time I turned back around, he was standing where I’d just been a few seconds before, watching me silently; he was still wearing the clothes he’d worn to school yesterday, although now they were rumpled and dirtied with dried blood, his chin and lips crimson.

 

“Jesus, Edward, you couldn’t have cleaned up before you came over? Are you trying to give Charlie and Bella each a heart attack?” I reached into my bedside table and tossed him the container of wet wipes I kept in there for just such an event, sighing as I plopped down on my bed with my arms crossed, “You’re lucky Bella’s such a sound sleeper or you’d have a gun pointed at your head about now….what in the hell were you doing in her room in the first place?”

 

“I needed to see her…” Edward wiped his face clean and tossed the used wet wipes into the waste basket under my desk before returning the container to my bedside table and taking a seat in the plush blue chair by the window, drumming his long fingers against the arms while his eyes gazed out through the glass in thought. I was surprised at the agitated edge to his movements, like he was buzzing with energy all of the sudden. “What’s up with you? I know vampires can’t really be affected by energy drinks, but did you chug a red bull or something tonight?”

 

A corner of his lip twitched at my lame attempt at a joke, but he didn’t turn his gaze from the window as his fingers continued to drum against the upholstery, “Bella said my name tonight…” He was almost whispering, as though he was afraid him saying this aloud would make it untrue, “She said my name, told me not to go…”

 

There was a brief pause as this sunk in, my brain taking a moment to process this information before I nodded slowly, scratching one of my ears with my nail, “Hm, I thought Bella might’ve been having dreams about you…very perceptive she is.” I glanced at Edward out of the corner of my eye, taking note of the change in him again, seeing that same fire had returned to his eyes, brighter than it was before, like someone had added more fuel to it. “So…you finally realized it, didn’t you? That you do love her, like Alice thought.” Edward stopped moving then, his spine straightening and his fingers tight around the arms of the chair as he pursed his lips tightly; I hummed, “So…what’s your new course of action? Alice said there’s only two ways things can go from here…you aren’t going to try to leave again, are you?

Edward sighed, finally relaxing his stiff posture as his shoulders slumped, shaking his head slowly back and forth, “No…I’m not strong enough to stay away from her anymore…Alice was right about that, too. I’ll have to work on that. But…maybe I can still change things.”

 

“You already said you can’t stay away from her…how else could you possibly be able to change the future if you can’t keep your distance from her?” I quirked a brow, leaning back into my headboard as I played with the end of my braid, watching Edward cross his arms and legs in front of him.

 

“I’ve seen the two futures Alice has foreseen for Bella, they’re both clear enough that one or the other could possibly happen.” His eyebrows pinched at the thought and I knew he worried about the fifty/fifty chance he had of accidentally killing Bella, although I could see it did not diminish the light in his eyes, “Just because I love her doesn’t mean I’ll be able to keep myself from killing her…I need to be careful, very careful, not to make any mistakes, if I’m going to try to be with her.”

 

“How’s Mr. Monster taking that?” I hummed, sitting Indian style on the sheets, surprised when Edward just shook his head, “That’s the thing, I can’t… _feel_ him anymore…it’s like…this change has silenced him for good…” He sounded relieved, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders at the realization that that part of him was no longer with him. “But, I’m still going to need to be careful around her, keep my guard up so I don’t succumb to my urges.”

 

“…what about that other future, though…? The one with her becoming -?”

 

“I won’t condemn her to this life.” Edward frowned, looking pained at the very thought, “I can’t…not her, she doesn’t deserve to become a prisoner to this immortal half-life like I have, just so I can selfishly keep her by my side…but…if she wanted to be with me….maybe there is a way…without killing or damning her.”

 

“Be with her…and leave her human?” I stared at Edward as he gave a slow nod, “Edward, are you completely out of your mind? You’re already walking the razors edge here trying to keep yourself from pouncing on her for her blood and you really think you could be with Bella for an entire human life without doing anything to her? And have you even thought about what she could want?”

 

“She won’t want a life like this one.” Edward argued, final turning to meet my gaze, “And I won’t turn her for my own selfish reasons, I refuse. If I can be with her, if I can have a relationship with her, love her up until the day she died, I would be happy. I can do it. And even if I can’t, I know you and your mother would be able to keep me in line, you’d be able to keep me from hurting her.”

 

“Edward…”

 

“Dawn, please…” He was suddenly at my side, gripping my hand tight in his own, staring intently into my eyes with blazing golden orbs, “I might just be strong enough to be with Bella, but I need help…I need someone there to rein me in when it’s needed. Say you’ll help me….?”

 

I stared into the intense fire of his eyes, frowning quietly at the resolve there, his determination to make this work, to be with Bella somehow, have that happiness the rest of his family had without condemning her to the same fate. He had accepted his destiny, accepted this was how things were supposed to be now, but he was still willing to fight for Bella’s humanity at any cost, even his own sanity, his own life. He would be able to do it, but he knew there had to be precautions, knew there was still a danger to including her in our world that he needed my and mama’s help against. We wouldn’t be able to be there twenty-four seven, three hundred sixty-five days a year to prevent every little thing from happening, but…we could at least try to streamline the operation, make things easier for the couple as best we could. And, who knew, maybe one day Edward would change his mind about turning Bella…or she could find a way to compromise with him about it. Either way, the couple needed us, and we owed it to the two to do whatever we could to help.

 

“All right…I’ll talk to mama in the morning.” I finally sighed, putting a hand over Edward’s and squeezing tightly, “We’ll do what we can to help you, Edward, I promise.” He smiled gratefully at me, his posture relaxing again at knowing he had someone to help make things easier, “First things first, though…if you’re really planning on trying a relationship with Bella, we’ll need to figure out a way to smooth things over with her.”

 

“I’ll figure that out, I caused this mess to begin with.” Edward swooped to kiss my forehead gratefully before getting to his feet and moving across the room again, “For now, I should let you sleep, you’ll likely need it for tomorrow. Goodnight, Dawn.”

 

“ ‘Night, Edward.” I waved after him, watching in amusement as he disappeared behind the curtain, slowly shaking my head as I reached over to turn off the light again.


	6. Breather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooo my fellow packmates,
> 
> Ahh, I've finally got this next chapter done and uploaded, yes! I apologize for the long wait, I never meant to put it off this long, I meant to upload earlier than this, but I finally got it done. This chapter's gonna be a bit different since we're gonna be getting more of a glimpse into Dawn's life and her relationships with other characters, so it's straying a bit off from the main story, but this one focuses on her, not Bella, like the original storyline does, so I hope you all enjoy that.  
> On a side note, the holidays are just around the corner and as my schedule's been off recently, I probably won't be uploading another chapter before the end of the year, sooooooooooo I'm going to wish all of you a Happy Holidays early. Whatever you celebrate, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, you get to spend time with your family, get the presents you want, and enjoy some nice food as well. Additionally, I hope the new year is bright and happy for all of you, and you have some great goals you're looking to achieve in 2019. 
> 
> Happy Holidays, everyone, from my family, to all of yours. See you all in the new year 
> 
> Signed, your alpha  
> ScarletMarieLeaf
> 
> P.S. I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to those of my readers who have left comments on this work and my apologizes for not responding to them earlier. I am deeply appreciative of everyone who has supported my story and continue to read every when I take forever to upload. Comments like those from Livelovelaughapps and Agent o are wonderful bonuses and give me a great boost of confidence and motivation to continue writing and updating as long as I possibly can. I am eternally grateful for readers like you and I thank you, so much, for the votes of confidence. It lets me know you guys enjoy this story and I'm doing a decent job with my writing. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Luck was on my side when I got up for school that morning; mama had the day off today, so she was able to be up to make breakfast for us kids. The warm, crisp smell of waffles wafted up the back stairs from the kitchen, tickling my sinuses as I opened the attic door. My ears perked with interest at the scent and I followed the tantalizing trail across the hall and down the stairs to the first floor. The underlying scent of fresh fruit intermixed with that of the waffles brought a flood of saliva forth as I walked into the kitchen and I smiled gratefully at mama as I walked around the island to join her.

 

“Mornin’, sweetheart.” She hummed, kissing my cheek as I walked by to grab a glass from the cabinet; I kissed her cheek in return, murmuring a good morning in return, “So, was that Edward I sensed upstairs in your and Bella’s room last night?”

 

Yeah, I should’ve known mama would’ve been able to sense another supernatural creature in our vicinity, whether she was fast asleep or wide awake, “Yeah, that was him.”

 

“He finally come to his senses?” She didn’t look up from the waffle maker as I hummed into my orange juice. “Well, it’s about damn time.”

 

“Tell me about it.” I shook my head as I joined mama at the island, pulling one of the bowls of fruit, a knife, and the chopping board toward me; it was still early enough that Bella and the boys would just be awaking up about now to get ready, giving mama and I a chance to be able to talk about this without anyone else overhearing. All the same, I kept an ear trained toward the back stairs just in case they or Charlie came down earlier than expected. No easier way to give a father a heart attack than telling him a boy he didn’t know very well had snuck into his teenaged daughters’ room in the middle of the night…no wait, there was an easier way, by telling said father that the boy that had snuck in was a vampire that struggled to decide whether to love his biological daughter or drain her of her blood because it made him go insane with thirst. “He came right over from hunting, said he needed to see Bella. He should’ve at least cleaned himself up first, though, I mean, his whole front was covered in blood….he looked like a wolf that had just taken down a deer. He’s lucky Bella’s such a sound sleeper or she would’ve had a damn heart attack. She _and_ Charlie if she’d screamed and woke up the whole house.”

 

“Did you get the chance to talk to him?” Mama sounded amused as she peered at me sideways out of the corner of her eye. I nodded, “He tell you what his course of action is going to be?”

 

“Well, he isn’t going to try to stay away from Bella anymore, he knows that impossible now…” I sighed, fixing a loose strand of hair back into my ponytail, “He knows there’s only two possible futures left for her now, either he gives into his craving and kills her for her blood or he turns her into a vampire. Edward thinks he can walk that fine line between, be with Bella without giving into his vampiric instincts and keep her human. Until she dies of old age.” I elaborated as mama opened her mouth; she stifled a snort, obviously amused at how quickly I was able to pick up on what she was thinking before she could even speak her thoughts aloud. She and I had always been on the same page, even when I was just a little kid.

 

“Does Edward really think he’ll be able to have a romantic relationship with Bella like that? Does he realize the average human life span now?” Mama shook her head, her expression softening, eyes sympathetic as I shrugged, “I know Edward has the ability to control himself, but to maintain that for possibly 80 to 90 years is a bit too much to ask. Even with how long he’s lived, he has urges just as the rest of us do and he’s stuck eternally as a teenager, so his hormones aren’t exactly what you would called balanced…well, not anymore, now that he’s found someone that’s peaked his interest. The only reason he’s been able to keep himself together is because he didn’t find anyone who drew him in like Bella did. Keeping his control is going to be a lot more difficult now. It happens when you’ve found that special someone who touches your heart in a way no other can.”

 

“At least for us…” I murmured, popping a piece of strawberry into my mouth. Mama smiled gently at us, nodding, “Yes, mostly for us. It happened for the rest of the Cullens and for me, at least twice. Although…those urges weren’t quite as strong with Charlie –“

 

“Okay, mama, I get it, you and my dads had urges, can we change the subject now, please?” I shuddered, not wanting to think too hard about my parents getting down and dirty. My stomach rolled at the thought, making my skin crawl and the hair all over my body rise uneasily. Mama giggled, obviously amused as she put an arm around my waist, drawing me in close so she could kiss my forehead.

 

“Oh, my sweet little okami no koinu, you’re so cute.” I glared at her out of the corner of my eye, scowling darkly as she squeezed my shoulder, “Okay, okay, no more talk about your fathers and I. But, don’t forget, one of these days you’re going to have to go through all of that, too, once you’ve found your chosen mate. Those urges will come so fast you won’t know what to do with yourself.”

 

“Yeah, well, that won’t be happening anytime soon.” I muttered, scraping the pieces of fruit into another bowl. “Considering none of the guys here do anything for me…hopefully I’ll have better luck with someone in college.” I sigh, suddenly wanting to get off the subject of my nonexistent love life, “Anyway…enough about my love life, let’s get back to Edward and Bella. Edward wanted us to try and help out with this.” Mama quirked a brow at me, as though silently asking how, exactly, we were supposed to do something like that. I shrugged, “Look, I don’t know, it’s his idea. He just wants us to try to be there when we can and to keep him in line if he gets out of control.”

 

“There’s only so much we’ll be able to do. I mean, yes, being Bella’s step-mother, I could interfere if need be, but I’m not a babysitter. And this isn’t the 20th century, they don’t need you to be a chaperon. I’m pretty sure Bella would try to kill you if you tried to stick to her like glue, you know how independent she is.”

 

“Yes, I’m aware, I’ve known that girl since I was five, I’m familiar with her inability to lean on others. She could get stabbed right in front of me and not so much as say ‘ow’, let alone let me help her take care of the wound.”

 

“It’s not always your job to take care of her, dear.” Mama pointed out gently.

 

“I’m the oldest, what else am I supposed to do? It’s the big sister’s job to look after her younger siblings.”

 

“Not for the rest of your life, Dawn.” Mama sighed, “I mean, yes, there will be situations in which you can still stand up for your brothers and sister when you’re adults, but it isn’t really realistic for anyone to expect you to loom over their shoulders for the rest of your days to ensure they won’t get hurt. You’re all going to have your own lives to live, jobs, houses, careers, families. Edward has to realize he cannot be with Bella and expect to keep her human for the rest of her days, it’s just ludicrous.”

 

“Well, he could argue that you manage just fine with a human for a mate.” I pointed out as mama and I gathered together the food and dishes and brought them to the table. She gave me a faint smile in return, “That’s different for Charlie and I. Demons are born, not created; and we don’t need blood to survive. We do need to be mindful of our strength with our human partners or family, true, but that’s a lot easier when we don’t consider humans as a food source.”

 

I shook my head a bit, suppressing an amused smile, “I do agree it’s a bit much for a vampire to be with a human for the rest of their life without changing them…but I get the feeling things might change. If Bella gets together with Edward and learns the truth about what he is, she might be willing to change to be with him…she would just have to find a way to convince him. Edward can be stubborn, but so can Bella, she’ll find a way.”

 

“That should be quite interesting to watch.” Mama giggled; I nodded my head in agreement, my ears inclining back at the familiar creak of the stairs behind us as she looked over. “Good morning, Bella. Come and eat breakfast, I made waffles.”

 

My step-sister smiled gratefully at mama as she crossed the kitchen, dropping her backpack onto one of the island chairs alongside mine as she slid into the booth next to me. Mama went to grab the milk and orange juice from the fridge as we helped ourselves to the waffles and pieces of fruit in the middle of the table. Charlie and the twins joined us not long afterward and we sat down to eat together. Mama brought up the spring dance looming on the horizon, asking Bella if she was thinking of going; Bella told her of the trip to Seattle she was planning for that day, glancing sideways at her dad for help. I cleared my throat, pointing out dances weren’t exactly Bella’s thing, looking pointedly at Charlie as I spoke before returning my attention to her. She lifted her chin in understanding, but still looked concerned, although I was able to alleviate that somewhat when I told her I’d already promised I’d get the day off to go with Bella. She smiled, relieved, and said she hoped we had a good time, although she was sure to remind us to be careful while in the city. Bella was quick to promise we would be fine, and the subject was promptly dropped, which I knew she preferred.

 

Charlie left for the police station as per usual, kissing mama goodbye on his way out, making Henry gag while Geffrey wrinkled his nose, much to our parents’ amusement; I had to stifle a smile behind my cup at their antics, shaking my head as I finished my breakfast and brought my dishes to the sink to rinse. Mama had already told us not to worry too much about the dishes, reassuring that she would be able to handle them while we went on to school. Bella was somewhat reluctant to just leave dishes in the sink, used to doing them before we left, but eventually conceded after mama promised it wouldn’t be any trouble for her since she had a day of chores ahead of her anyway.

 

When we arrived at school, Bella made sure to park as far from Edward’s Volvo as the lot would allow, obviously still not over their fight from yesterday. I shook my head, pulling into an empty space next to a Suburban close to his car and got out.

 

“You know, you keep lurking like this, people are going to start thinking you’re a stalker.” I looked up from my messenger bag as I rounded the back bumper of the Suburban, quirking my brow at the vampire hiding on the other side of the car. Edward’s eyes were trained on the old, faded shape of my step-sister’s truck, just a couple of rows from where we stood, one corner of his lips quirked as though he was smiling, although there was an obviously guilty edge to his eyes, his head cocked to the side as though he was deep in thought. I crossed my arms, allowing my gaze to drift in Bella’s direction, “Well, you aren’t going to get anywhere just standing here, Edward. Go get her, big fella.” I pat his shoulder as I went past, “And good luck! Bella’s damn stubborn when she wants to be.”

 

Jasper and Alice were waiting for me as I reached the sidewalk and we headed across campus together; it would be better for both Edward and Bella if we gave them their space for now, so Edward could try to sort things out without someone looking over his shoulder. There wasn’t anything he could do in such a public place, not with this many witnesses around and, with the added benefit of Alice’s ability to see the future, I would be able to find the pair quickly if the need arose. There was no need for a chaperone and I wasn’t about to become one. No way.

 

“Ooh, I just can’t wait to become friends with Bella!” Alice squealed, skipping excitedly next to me; Jasper chuckled gently from her other side, amused. “I just wish Edward would let me talk to her…” Her bottom lip pushed out in an attractive pout, pulling a giggle from my lips.

 

“I know you’re impatient to hang out with Bella, Alice, but just give her and Edward some space for now. They need time to be able to get to know one another first before Bella starts integrating into your family.”

 

“Not to mention the fact Bella is going to need to get comfortable with the idea of our world.” Jasper added, peering at me sideways out of the corner of his eye, “You and your mother are going to need to step up your game if you want Bella to know about all this before she and Edward begin a relationship.”

 

I sighed slowly, nodding, “I know, I’m aware…I’ve been leaving my grandfather’s book lying out in the open for her to see everyday and I’ll even ‘accidentally’ mix it up with her things every other day, but she hasn’t given it a second thought…she’s been so absorbed with what’s been going on with Edward over the last month and a half. I feel like I should just start turning off my charm at home and wearing a shirt that says, **‘I’M NOT HUMAN!’** just to get her attention.”

 

“Hmm, well, she already suspects something of you and Edward. Maybe she’ll bring it up today and you can slip in something about your book.” Jasper pointed out gently. I flick an ear, frowning quietly to myself in thought, “Something like that could work if Bella was actually open to talking to people about her thoughts and feelings. Honestly, a brick wall is more open than she is…I’ve been close to Bella since we were kids and she still keeps a lot to herself, no matter how many times I tell her I’m here for her whenever she needs to talk.”

 

“Stubborn girl.” Alice smiled, obviously amused; I glared sideways at her, pursing my lips, making her have to bite hers’ to stop herself from laughing. “Okay, I’m sorry, no joking. But, you’re smart, Dawn, I know you and your mother will be able to figure something else out.”

 

“Hm…” I sighed, blowing some stray strands of hair out of my face as we neared the English building, “I hope so…but, I’ll catch up with you two later. And remember Alice,” I gave the petite vampire a pointed look, “Give Edward and Bella their space and wait until things have settled before you try to get to know Bella yourself. We don’t want to overwhelm her.”

 

“You and Edward are just no fun.” Alice huffed, waving off my words with a flick of her wrist, although I knew she understood their severity; even if Bella would one day be a part of our world, it still wouldn’t do to reveal everything at once and frighten her…it would be better to introduce things to her slowly, so she could get acclimated to it, just like mama did for Charlie. “Oh, and Dawn?” I turned my head back in Alice’s direction, already turned to head inside, “Don’t forget about today’s biology lab, all right?”

 

I gave her a half-hearted smile, inclining my head gratefully for the reminder, even if I hadn’t needed it; what supernatural creature, especially a vampire, or part vampire, would forget something as dangerous as blood-typing in science? Even growing up on animal blood as I had, I never tempted fate and avoided labs like these. There was also the fact we didn’t know the kind of affect my blood could have on the human it was put into, so…yeah. Blood typing, not exactly what you would call my or the Cullens’ thing.

 

“Like I would forget something important like that.” I chuckled humorlessly, “Don’t worry, I’ve already made alternate plans for this afternoon, so our classmates won’t have to worry about anything.”

 

“They never do with you, do they?” A faint smile tugged at the corners of Jasper’s lips, pulling another chuckle from my throat, this one easier, more relaxed, “Probably not, but, it’s better not to chance anything.” The couple smiled together, nodding their heads in agreement as I turned away from them again, “I’ll see you guys at lunch.”

 

There was a shift in behavior in Bella after her talk with Edward that morning, noticeable to even those that were not close to her; first off, Bella arrived late to our first class, something she never did, even before she’d come to Forks. She had perfect attendance awards that proved as much. Even more odd, she seemed to be off in her own little world, her gaze dazed and staring off into deep space as she meandered through the door; she was so spaced out, she didn’t even seem to realize she’d walked into class after Mr. Mason had already begun his lesson until he cleared his throat, thanking her for joining us in an obviously unimpressed and disappointed tone. She immediately seemed to snap back to her senses for a brief moment, her face flushing scarlet as she hurried to her seat in front of me; I quirked a brow at her, quietly asking what was up, but she avoided my eye and sank as far down in her seat as it would allow, leaning her head against her hand in an attempt to hide her face. My brows furrowed, ears quirking with interest, but I decided to just let it go for now, knowing it was best not to press Bella on this issue here at school, when there were people around that could try to eavesdrop. It would be better to wait until we were home, where we could have some privacy. For now, I would just need to keep an eye on my step-sister, especially if she was going to be as dazed as she was when she came into class today. It wouldn’t do for her to fall over and split her head open when things were just staring to smooth over and move forward between her and Edward.

 

Another noticeable shift in behavior concerned a certain overtly friendly young man who, until today, had followed Bella around like a puppy, but was now, quite obviously, absent from his usual seat next to her. I would say I wasn’t surprised, at least, until Bella and I walked out of English and were greeted by Mike and Eric, who were waiting to walk her to her next class. I was quiet as I walked with the trio through the drizzle, listening as Mike, quieter than usual today, gained more enthusiasm as he walked with Bella and Eric, talking about how the rain was supposed to take enough of a break this weekend that his beach trip might be possible. Bella feigned interest, trying to sound eager about the prospect of going to the beach, although I knew she was wishing for the hot, sunny beaches of Arizona about now. Well, it was definitely warm enough over there to warrant a beach trip, considering it got over a hundred in comparison to Forks, where we would be lucky if the climate got warm enough for us to be able to go to the beach during the summer, let along early spring…although I was still questioning the practicality of a trip now, when the grass and vegetation had barely even had time to wake up from hibernation. But, oh well, it was a trip to the beach, who was I to turn down a chance to be near the ocean and see the tidepools? If I could knock off work early this weekend, maybe I could talk Jake into bringing along a volleyball or something, so we could have a game between my classmates and some of the reservation kids.

 

I did my best to keep track of Bella throughout the rest of the day, going out of my way to seek her out between classes to make sure she made it safely to each building before I headed for my own, making sure to be there to steady her whenever it seemed she was about to fall since she still seemed to be off in her own little world. I was sure Edward was keeping an eye on her same as I was, although he had a better view into her day than I did, but I wanted to be sure she was okay. She wasn’t like most people, true, but vampires and other supernatural creatures could still leave a lasting effect on humans. Even if Edward hadn’t meant for it, his charms had had an effect on Bella. It was amusing to watch, especially as Bella, usually so stubborn and not as easily swayed, fell under his spell.

 

Jessica seemed to have regained some of the bubbly enthusiasm she’d lost yesterday; apparently Mike had caught up with her yesterday after school to accept her invitation to the dance, which had put her in a far better mood than the one she’d been sporting 24 hours earlier. Good, I couldn’t help thinking as I absent-mindedly listened to her drone on about her plan to go as a group with Lauren and Angela, who would each be taking Taylor and Ben respectively. At least she could back the hell off Bella now that she had her (on again, off again) ‘boyfriend’. Now my stepsister could focus on being with the one she really wanted. Bella, herself, was only half listening to the talkative girl go on about her plans as we walked into the cafeteria together, her gaze sweeping over the room in the direction of the Cullens’ usual table in the corner. I glanced in that direction, too, inclining an ear when disappointment unfolded over Bella’s face at seeing the four other vampires sitting there without the one she was looking for.

 

Alice’s eyes darted up to meet mine before flicking away to focus on something across the room; following her line of sight, I spotted Edward sitting at a table across from his family, watching the line, or, more specifically, Bella, as she shuffled along after Jessica toward the register, only grabbing a bottle of lemonade long the way. Her eyes were on her shoes, her eyebrows pulled together sadly, causing a noticeable crumple in her forehead.

 

“That’s weird.” I hummed, speaking quickly as Jessica noticed the change as well, causing her to finally pause, “Edward’s sitting alone today, haven’t seen him do that before.”

 

Just as I thought it might, Bella’s head immediately snapped up at my words and her eyes followed my gaze to where Edward was sitting; his lips quirked up into a lopsided smile as soon as her eyes met his and he lifted one hand, curling his index finger in an enticing ‘come hither’ motion. Bella’s eyebrows rose in disbelief and he winked as I bit my lip to hide a smile.

 

“Does he mean _you?_ ” Jessica demanded, astonished, as she stared at Bella. I rolled my eyes, feeling insulted, even though the slight was not aimed at me.

 

“No, he means the Easter Bunny standing behind Bella.” I quipped, putting a hand on Bella’s back and easing her forward, “Go on Bells. Go get ‘im.” I gave her a thumbs-up in encouragement as she glanced back at me over her shoulder before she turned back toward Edward, took in a deep breath to steady herself, and crossed the cafeteria toward him, nearly tripping twice along the way, even though there was nothing on the floor for her to trip on. I shook my head, amused, and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter, a water bottle from the freezer and nudged Jessica with my shoulder, “C’mon, before people start complaining we’re holding the line up.”

 

“What is _up_ with those two?” Jessica demanded to know, turning to me now with wide, curious eyes in place of the usual distasteful look she shot me. “I thought you and Edward -?”

 

“Now that was an assumption.” I pointed out, handing the lunch lady a couple of bucks, “Ever hear someone tell you not to jump to conclusions, hm? That applies here. Just because I hang out with the Cullens, it doesn’t mean I’m involved with the only single one out of them.” I wandered away from Jessica without giving her a chance to answer, taking a bite of my apple as I approached the Cullens’ usual table. Instead of staring off in different directions like they usually would, their attention was on where their brother was sitting with Bella across the room from them. I quirked a brow, amused, taking in their expressions as I reached them.

 

Rosalie looked absolutely pissed; from what I’d heard, Carlisle had hoped turning her into a vampire would provide Edward with a mate of his own, since he’d already had Esme. Unfortunately, though, things had not worked out that way and he’d, unintentionally, insulted her before they’d even had a proper conversation. Unfortunately, their relationship had not improved from there. More than likely she was insulted Edward had an interest in someone he still barely knew where he’d never had an interest in her. Then again, she’d always made everything about herself…probably one reason why I never got along with the superficial vampire myself.

 

Emmett looked torn between amused and concerned; he wasn’t one to really make assumptions or feel insulted, unlike Rosalie. He kinda balanced his wife out in a way no one else could, probably a good reason why they were a couple. More than likely he was glad to see Edward actually happy instead of miserable, after all the years they’d been brothers, even if he seemed a bit more…enthusiastic than usual.

 

Jasper looked the most worried out of the four, his arms crossed over his chest, eyes intent on the couple, a deep look of concentration on his face, like he was tasting the emotional air around them, watching for turbulence or anything that could indicate danger.

 

Alice was positively beaming. She was still obviously impatient for the chance to talk to Bella herself, although she was keeping her distance like I’d suggested…and like Edward had probably told her to do as well. That didn’t stop her from bouncing excitedly in her chair like an excited child waiting to open their birthday/Christmas presents.

 

“How’s it looking so far?” I set my water bottle down on the table next to Alice, leaning against the back of her chair as I ate my apple, allowing my gaze to trail back toward the couple.

 

“It looks to be going well,” Alice hummed happily, cocking her head delicately to the side, “Although, Bella’s friends don’t look all too happy.”

 

“Eh, they’ll get over it.” I shrugged indifferently, glancing in the direction of her original lunch table, “Besides, this doesn’t really concern them, this is between Edward and Bella.” My gaze drifted back toward the two; Edward looked a bit more comfortable now, an easy, teasing smile on his lips as he stared at Bella, who looked more surprised about this turn of events than anything, although there was a definite smile lurking around the corner of her lips, like she was secretly happy about it at the same time. The longer they talked, though, the more I could see the effort Edward was putting into being calm, casual, his smile slowly slipping from his lips as his expression turned more serious. But then, his crooked smile was back, like Bella had said something that amused him. I flicked an ear, amused, taking a slow sip from my water.

 

“Hey Dawn, you got any plans for this afternoon?” Emmett cocked his head at me from across the table, obviously bored with watching the couple now. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, humming in thought as I lick some of the apple juice lingering around my mouth.

“Hm, well, I thought of heading up to La Push after lunch. With everything that’s been going on, I haven’t really had much of a chance to see Jacob all that much. I have something I wanted to give him anyway.”

 

“Those new parts for his car, right?” I nodded, earning a chuckle in return, “Luckily we had some old parts we didn’t need lying around. I’m sure Jacob could use ‘em more than we could.”

 

“True. I was able to pick up some things from the junkyard, too, some bigger parts Jake’s really been itching to get his hands on. I’m sure he’ll be happy.” I finish my apple and toss the core into a nearby trash can, licking the juice from my fingers and lips before using a napkin to clean off any that could still be lingering on my skin as I glanced up at the clock hung up high on one of the cafeteria walls. “It’s still early, but I think I’m gonna head on out to the reservation.” I grabbed my messenger bag from where I’d dropped it in one of the empty seats at the table, slinging the strap over my shoulder as I tucked my water bottle inside. “Be sure to keep an eye on those two while I’m gone and call if you need me. I’ll come straight back.”

 

“We will, have fun with your boyfriend, Dawn.” Alice hummed, grinning mischievously after me as I started for the door; I turned partially to face the vampires again, making a face at the smallest of the four while the boys chuckled, amused, “Alice, I’ve already told you, Jacob isn’t my boyfriend, he’s just a friend.” I shook my head, pivoting on my heel as I reached the cafeteria doors and pushed out into the cool March air. It wasn’t raining like usual, although a quick glance up at the blanket of grey that obscured the sky was enough of a reminder to keep me on my toes; the weather here in Forks could be unpredictable when it wanted to be, meaning I would have to make sure I kept my sweatshirt on hand should the clouds overhead decide to open up and make it pour. Thankfully, though, Jake and I wouldn’t have to be out in the rain too much, since he had his own little garage out behind his house.

 

Doing a quick sweep of the area to ensure no one else was around, I sped across campus to the school parking lot, sliding into the drivers’ seat of my Camry not even a thirty seconds after leaving the cafeteria. Starting up the engine with ease, I tossed my bag onto the passenger seat before pulling out of my parking spot and away from the school. I headed North on the highway, like I was headed toward the Cullens’ house, but turned left onto La Push Road just before reaching North Forks Avenue.

 

Stopping at a convenience store along the way to pick up a couple of sodas, I pulled up in front of the tribal high school and parked alongside the sidewalk that separated the student lot from the main road to wait as the bell signaling the end of the period sounded. The school’s schedule up here wasn’t too different from the schedule at Forks High, meaning Jacob would be getting out about the same time the rest of my classmates would be. At least I would have some time to kill to do homework while I waited for my best friend to finish with his classes for the day, freeing me up to spend more time at his house tonight without having to worry about hurrying home to get my assignments done.

 

Cutting off the engine and pulling my backpack toward me, I took out my binders and pencil case, popping my headphones into my ears to block out the rest of the world while the occasional student exited the building, cutting across the student lot to get from one part of the school to another. A couple lower classmen spotted my car and stared as they went by, until I lifted my head to meet their gazes, at which point they quickly averted their eyes, whispering among themselves. I shook my head, returning my attention to my algebra homework, letting the rest of the world fade away as I concentrated on my studies. I finished my homework with about five minutes to spare before the final bell of the day was due to ring and decided to get out of the car to stretch since I’d been sitting too long. It would make it easier to spot Jacob and the boys on their way out, too, so I wouldn’t have to worry about missing them.

Someone wolf-whistled as I stretched my arms over my head, arching my back with an appreciative groan and pushing up onto the tips of my toes to stretch out my legs; my ears swiveled in the direction of the noise as I fell back onto the heels of my feet and turned, brushing my bangs back out of my face so I could let my gaze sweep along the row of cars in front of me.

 

Several spaces down, sitting in the back of a faded blue pick-up, was a trio of young men staring intently in my direction, cocky grins playing around the corners of their lips as their wicked eyes sweep up and down the length of my body. I suppressed the shudder that threatened to overtake me, not wanting any of them to misconstrue that as an invitation to come over and talk to me, and quickly averted my gaze, looking out over the school grounds as I silently prayed for the bell to ring, quickly. I really didn’t want to deal with these idiots today, especially if it meant I would have to use my supernatural strength to get them to leave me alone. Their laughter was the only sound in the otherwise quiet parking lot.

 

“Hey baby,” I didn’t even turn to acknowledge them as one of them called out to me, even though I knew my ignoring them would do little in the way of getting them to leave me be. I’d dealt with these boys all my life and none of them ever really got the hint that I just was not interested in any of them. Especially Brad, who’d had a thing for me since we were kids. I had to suppress the deep sigh of relief that escaped me as the final bell buzzed, echoing across the grounds toward us.

 

“Oooh, your girlfriend’s ignoring you, Brad.” I bristled at the word girlfriend, but I didn’t turn to snap that I was not Brad’s girl. If I were to give any kind of response, it would only encourage the boys to bother me more. Thankfully for me, I spotted Jacob, Embry, and Quil coming out through a nearby side door at that moment and I let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Hey guys!” I raised a hand to get their attention, beaming when Embry spotted me first. He smiled and nudged the other two, pointing in my direction, his brown eyes warm as his smile caused the dimple in his chin to appear while he pushed his long black hair out of his face. Quil raised a hand to wave at me, one corner of his lip turning up into the familiar impish grin he’d always had. Jacob beamed when he saw me, his bright white teeth a stark contrast against his smooth russet-colored skin while his deep-set hickory brown eyes twinkled.

 

“D!” He scooped me up into his arms for a hug as soon as he and the others met me on the sidewalk, pulling a laugh from my throat as I wrapped my arms loosely around his neck while he spun me around, “Where have you been? We haven’t seen you in forever!”

 

“You saw me for my birthday last month, Jake, that wasn’t forever ago.” I teased, smiling up at him as he set me down; although almost three years my junior, and still sporting a small bit of baby fat around his chin, Jacob was already taller than I was, standing at 5’10 at only fifteen years old. Thankfully for me, Embry and Quil hadn’t quite hit that growth spurt yet. I fixed a piece of Jacob’s raven black hair back into the loose ponytail he had it in, spotting the rubber band he usually used resting against the nape of his neck, “You need to get better hair ties than just rubber bands, Jake.” I laughed, shaking my head, “I’ll be sure to put that on your birthday list this year.”

 

Jacob wrinkled his nose playfully at me and I giggled as I hugged Embry and Quil both in turn, too, “And as for where I’ve been, you know, dealing with the usual stuff at home and school. Trying to keep up with my studies and keep the little sibs from getting into trouble. Nothing major.” Yeah, totally nothing major about trying to set my step-sister up with a vampire thirsting for her blood, you know stuff like that was just an everyday thing. They did it all the time in Italy. “Just thought I’d break the monotony of it all and come see you guys.” Sure, my life was totally monotonous…not. You know your life was chaotic when you actually craved something like normalcy. “There was something I want to give you, too.” I poked Jacob in the chest as I opened the driver’s side door of my Camry and popped the trunk, indicating for him to look inside. His smile brightened even more when he did.

 

“Woah! You found a master cylinder for my Volkswagen!” He pulled the long, silver cylinder from my trunk, looking it over with wide, excited eyes. I smile and nod, chuckling as he spots the extra car battery I’d picked up and the new starter, too. “And all the big stuff I needed, awesome!” He turned his beaming smile on me and reached out to pull me into a tight, one armed hug, “This is great, thank you so much Dawn! Where the heck did you find this stuff?”

 

“I can’t take all the credit.” I chuckled, feeling my ears warm under his praise as I hugged him in return, “I had some help from a couple other car enthusiasts.”

 

“The Cullens?” Jacob laughed, pulling back a bit to look at me; I nodded, “Yup, Rosalie and Emmett really know their stuff when it comes to cars.”

 

“I thought blondie was supposed to be one of those super-hot, popular girls who was only concerned with her looks.” Quil snorted, pulling a faint chuckle from Embry as he leaned against my car, “Wouldn’t she be worried about breaking a nail?”

 

“While it is true Rosalie cares a great deal about her looks, she does know how to get down and dirty when she needs to….and I don’t just mean with her boyfriend.”

 

Jacob and Quil both let out a howl of laughter as Embry chuckled shyly, his cheeks dusting pink at my joke. I chuckled myself, squeezing Embry’s shoulder gently, knowing he wasn’t quite as comfortable making dirty jokes like Jacob, Quil, or I were. He had always been the quieter, shy one of our group….which was saying something, considering I was the only girl….maybe I’d been spending time with guys a little too long…ah well, I think I’d prefer being this way to being a prude. Life was messy, there was no two ways around it, so why get your panties all in a twist over it?

 

“Anyway, I managed to get away from my busy schedule to come hang out. You guys up for working on the ol’ wagen today?” I looked between the three boys. Jacob smiled widely again, answering my question without him even having to open his mouth; I turned to Quil and Embry quizzically, catching the look Quil gave Embry that stopped him before he could open his own mouth to reply.

 

“As much as we’d love to, D, Em promised to help me with my math homework this week to prepare for this big test on Friday.” There was an apologetic edge to Quil’s impish smile as he put a hand on Embry’s arm, cutting him off again, “My mom’s been all over my case to bring my Algebra grade up and I want to do well. You know how good Embry is at Algebra.”

 

I frown sadly, not wanting to see the two of them go; it’d been really hectic since the accident, making it hard for me to be able to get enough time to myself to come see my friends up here. “That sucks…I wish you guys could come hang out.”

 

“We do, too.” Quil nodded his agreement while realization was dawning on Embry’s face, making him frown sadly himself, his eyebrows pulling together over the bridge of his nose, “But, hey, you know, maybe we can see about this weekend, huh? I’m sure you could get some time off from work.”

 

“Maybe…” I paused to think about it, wondering if we would have enough people to cover for this weekend so I could take a day off to come see these guys until I remembered, “Oh, wait! My classmates are planning a trip down to First Beach this weekend and they invited Bella and I to join them. I already asked for that time off, so I’ll have a free day on Saturday. I wanted to mention to see if you three’d be interested in going. It’ll be the first time you see Bella since we were kids.” I looked up at Jacob, who cocked his head thoughtfully before smiling.

 

“It would be great to see her again…although I’m sure she doesn’t remember me much.” He chuckled, rubbing his neck. I could almost swear I saw a pink hue touch his cheeks, his smiling turning shy, making my heart suddenly feel heavy in my chest. I frowned to myself, but tried not to dwell on that feeling, working to keep the smile on my face reassuring, easy, as I touched his shoulder, “You know Forks wasn’t always her favorite place, Jake, but I’m sure she’ll appreciate seeing a, somewhat, familiar face. I’ll be there to reintroduce you guys, too.”

 

Jacob smiled gratefully at me, “Thanks, D.”

 

I squeeze his shoulder, “No problem. But is that something you guys would want to do?” I looked between the three boys. Jacob chuckled, nodding, “Definitely. It sounds fun.” Quil’s usual grin was back and even Embry smiled at the idea of meeting up at the beach, just like we used to do on the weekends, before I’d started working at the shelter. “Great. The kids at school are planning on meeting in the morning at the sporting goods store before we head over to the beach. Just come join us whenever you can, okay? We’ll be bringing a lunch along, too, so I’m sure you’ll all enjoy that.” I smile teasingly at the trio, making each of them laugh, amused, as they each nodded in agreement.

 

“We’ll be there, D.” Quil promised, smiling, “But, for now, Em and I should get going.” He grabbed Embry’s arm, tugging lightly to pull him along with him.

 

“I could give you guys a ride, so you don’t have to walk. Whose house are you going to?” I told Jacob to leave the stuff in the truck for now and ushered for him to get in the passenger side of the car. Quil and Embry looked back. “We’re headed for my place, it’s just up the road.” Embry smiled reassuringly at me as I furrowed my brows, ready to protest, “Really, D, we’re fine. You and Jake go have fun fixing up his Volkswagen.”

 

“Not too much fun, though!” Quil threw over his shoulder with a wicked grin on his face that made my ears immediately warm. I glared playfully after him as Embry and Jacob chuckled, amused, “Oh, I’m gonna get you back for that one, Quil! You’d better watch out on Saturday!”

 

Quil turned to face me, continuing up the road backward, “I look forward to seeing what you’ve got, D!” He chortled, pivoting on his heel to face forward again as Embry continued to chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. I shake my head after the two and checked the trunk to make sure it was closed before climbing into the drivers’ seat. Jacob had already buckled himself in by the time I got myself situated and started up the engine.

 

“So, how’re things going at home? Have things calmed down a bit?” Jacob asked as I pulled away from the school and turned onto a side road that would take us to his street. I hum, being mindful of the rest of the reservation students making their way home on foot. “Like I said, crazy….but things have calmed down a bit since that accident at my school.”

 

Jacob frowned, having heard about that from Charlie and his dad; he’d called me a few days afterward to make sure I was okay, and it took a while before I was able to convince my best friend I wasn’t hurt. Even now I could sense the worry radiating off him, “Dawn, are you sure you’re –“

 

“Jacob, for the hundredth time, I’m fine, I wasn’t the one that was hurt. Bella got the worst of it.” I turned onto Jacob’s street, then down the dirt road leading to his house, which was set back in the woods just like my and the Cullens’ houses were, “Thankfully, the worst she got was a bump on the head…”

 

“What about one of the Cullens’ kids, wasn’t he involved in the accident, too? What was his name?”

 

“Edward.” I reminded him, following the familiar road with ease, “And he’s fine…he didn’t really get in the way of the van, just pulled Bella away. Accidentally pushed her too hard, which made her bump her head, but he saved her life.”

 

“I thought both you _and_ Edward ended up saving Bella from that van?” Jacob cocked his head, curious and I shook mine.

 

“No, Edward was the one who saved her, he pulled her out of the way. I was just there to make sure she was okay.” I pulled out of the cover of trees onto the gravel driveway in front of Jacob’s house; it was a small, wooden structure with narrow windows, painted in a dull shade of red that made it resemble a miniature barn. I parked alongside the house and popped the trunk again before getting out, locking the car behind us as Jacob climbed out, too. There was the sound of the front door opening and a wheelchair rolling down the ramp from the door to the driveway.

 

“I thought I heard someone driving up.” I looked up at the familiar, warm voice, and smiled at the heavyset man rolling himself toward us, his smile bringing emphasis to the deep wrinkles in his dark russet skin, the crinkles around his black eyes making them sparkle. “It’s been a while since you’ve come to spend time here, Dawn.”

 

“Yeah, well, life’s been kinda crazy.” I crossed to meet Jacob’s father at a corner of the house, leaning down to hug him; his thick arms were warm as they wrapped around my middle to return the hug, his scent a combination of old, worn leather, tobacco, and peppermint. It brought back memories of my childhood when Jacob and I were still small enough to be carried around by our parents. “It’s great to see you again, Uncle Billy.”

 

“Likewise, little sun.” Billy chuckled, as I pulled back to kiss his wrinkled cheek before I straightened out again, “We’ve all missed you here, especially Jacob. Haven’t seen the poor boy look so forlorn since those summers you went to visit your grandparents in Connecticut for a month.”

 

“Hey, I wasn’t forlorn…it just wasn’t the same around here without her.” Jacob huffed, shifting the car parts in his arms so he could shut the trunk. I went to relieve him of his backpack and the car battery, hefting his bag over my shoulder.

 

“Whatever you say, son.” Billy chuckled, reaching out to take Jacob’s backpack from me as we returned to his side, “Judging by those auto parts in your arms, I’m guessing the two of you are going to be spending some time in the garage today, hm?” Jacob and I nodded, “All right, just don’t be out there too late, you still have homework to do, Jake. And I’m sure Charlie and Elizabeth don’t want you staying out too late either, Dawn.”

 

“Yeah, they usually don’t like when I stay out too late on a school night.” I hum, making a mental note to text mama while Jacob and I were in the garage, so she wouldn’t be wondering where I was, “Charlie still gives me grief for the last time.”

 

“Hm mm, you two ‘fell asleep’.” Billy chuckled, making my ears burn; Jacob turned red around the ears himself, clearing his throat, “Oh yeah, we were totally fooling around dad, with you sitting in the recliner right next to us.”

 

“I wasn’t there the entire time.” Billy pointed out with a grin and I cleared my throat quickly, wanting to change the subject, “Okay…well, if Jake and I want to work on the Volkswagen today, we’d better get started. Talk to you later, Uncle Billy.”

 

“Have fun, you two.” Billy’s chuckle followed us around the back of the house and I shook my head as we followed the short dirt path to the detached garage, hidden from view by a protectively thick band of trees and shrubbery. It wasn’t anything too fancy, just a couple of large reformed tool sheds that had been bolted together with their interior walls knocked out. Inside, the Volkswagen was raised off the ground on a grouping of cinder blocks, allowing room for Jacob to be able to get underneath.

 

“She’s looking good so far, Jake.” I beamed, setting the battery down on his work bench, which was set up against one of the walls. He set down the master cylinder and car starter alongside it and went to get his tool box from the metal locker in the corner. I walked around the front of the Volkswagen, admiring it from all angles. Yeah, she was definitely looking better than she had when Jake and I had found her in the junk yard. I would just have to see if he would agree to getting her a new paint job, once he got her out on the road. “You’ve been working hard, I see.”

 

“Well, it’s a hobby.” Jacob chuckled as he set his tool box down on the bench and joined me by the front of the car, popping the hood; there were still holes in the engine where he didn’t have working parts, but I was glad to see he’d been able to replace some of the smaller ones, like the spark plugs and belt. “It’s not easy finding her parts, but she is comin’ along well. You keep contributing the way you have been, I should have her up and running in no time.”

 

“You get her running by your birthday and I’ll pay for a new paint job.” I grinned; Jacob looked up from checking everything was in its’ place and turned to smirk at me, quirking a brow, “You trying to start a wager with me, Swan?”

 

“And if I am?” I challenged teasingly, propping my hip against the front fender and crossing my arms as I raised my eyebrows teasingly.

 

“What would you get if you won, dare I ask?”

 

I hummed to myself, pretending to think about it, “Free car maintenance for a year?” Jacob let out a deep, jubilant laugh, the one that comes from deep in your belly. “You’ve already got free car maintenance for life! I’ve never charged you, not even for any of your oil changes.”

 

“Because you’re too stubborn to accept any money I try to give you.” I stuck my tongue out at him, making him laugh again. “Kinda hard to charge you anything when you bring the new change of oil yourself.” He smiled as he picked up the battery and brought it over to the car. I grabbed the old mechanics rolling stool he kept by his work station, so his guests could have somewhere to sit, and positioned myself between the car and his tool box, so I could hand him the tools he needed. “Oh, and let’s not forget the fact, you’re my best friend.”

 

“That’s bad business practice.” I pointed out, pulling another chuckle from Jacob’s lips, “All right, when I was talking about the paint job, it was more of a promise than a wager, but if that’s how you want it, I’ve got a deal for you: If you finish this car by your next birthday, I pay for a new paintjob. If you don’t, you have to accept payment for any work you perform on my car from that day onward. Thirty bucks for every oil change and fifteen bucks for every fifteen minutes you spend on my car otherwise, from changing the tires to working on the engine.”

 

Jacob peered up at me from under the hood of his car, narrowing his eyes, “Doesn’t sound like a fair wager if both outcomes only benefit one party.”

 

I shrug, crossing my arms with a grin, “My paying you alleviates some of the guilt I feel for your slave labor.”

 

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

 

“Nope!” I popped the ‘p’ to emphasis my point, shaking my head. Jacob shook his own head, lowering his gaze back to the battery, “Those are my terms, Black, if you want this to be a wager.”

 

Jacob hummed, thoughtful, and I couldn’t help but get drawn in by the quiet sound, soothing in his deep, husky tone. Just hearing his voice had a very calming affect on me, especially when I was having a bad day, which was one reason why I enjoyed spending time with Jacob when things were crazy at home or school. Even when I couldn’t come up to La Push to see him, it was comforting to be able to call him on the phone, whether to unload my problems or just forget about them for a little while.

 

“Twenty bucks for every oil change and five bucks for every thirty minutes of work.” Jacob shot back, snapping me out of my reprieve. I narrowed my eyes, my ears pressing back against the top of my head, “Twenty-five bucks an oil change, ten bucks for every twenty minutes of work.”

 

Jacob straightened up from under the hood of his Volkswagen to peer at me thoughtfully, leaning against the side of the car for a second before he released a slow breath, “Fine, deal.” He held out his hand to shake and I grinned triumphantly as I took it, my skin warm where it came into contact with his, “Deal.” We shook on it and Jacob chuckled, amused.

 

“You’d think I’d be used to that stubborn streak of yours’ by now.” He smiled as he released my hand, leaving a pleasant tingle behind. I grin at him, sitting straight into my chair and crossing my arms triumphantly. “I’m almost surprised myself, you’ve had a lifetime to get used to it and yet you’re not.” I laughed, smiling.

 

“Probably because it doesn’t come out all that much, except for instances like this one.” Jacob finished putting in the battery and I tossed him a rag to clean his hands off before I helped him bring the cylinder and the starter over, along with his refurbished creeper, a flat, padded bench on wheels mechanics laid on when they were working under a car. I set the creeper down in front of the Volkswagen and Jacob laid down on it, sliding underneath the front fender while I brought the tool box over, perching myself on the rolling stool next to him to continue to hand him tools.

 

To anyone else, just sitting here handing tools off to a mechanic and watching as they worked on a car was boring, but I found it enjoyable. It was Jacob’s hobby and I enjoyed being there to help him, especially when he was particularly excited about a project. During times of stress in my life, this was my escape. I loved being here, just hanging out with my best friend, helping him build cars while we talked about our lives or anything and everything under the sun. Even though I can’t let Jacob know what I truly am, I felt comfortable, safe here with him, which was easy since he always made me feel welcome, like this was one of my homes away from home. When I had no one else I could talk to, he was there to listen and calm me down, just as I tried to do for him.

 

 _(Jake’s such a great guy…)_ I couldn’t help but think as I handed him one of his smaller screwdrivers, peering down at him through the breaks in the engine, a faint smile on my lips as I leaned my head on my arms, which were folded on the edge of the hood, _(He just makes it so easy to be around him…mama says that’s what finding a mate is like, that it’s easy being around them, comfortable…but…there hasn’t been any signs that he’s my destined mate, none that I’ve noticed, anyway…that’d be kinda weird…I don’t think I’d mind it all that much…if this is how its’ supposed to be…but…)_ I frowned quietly to myself in thought, _(I wonder…)_

 

My eyes slipped closed then and I took a couple of minutes to breath in deeply; the scent of metal and oil was thick in the air here, just as it had always been, underlaid by the smell of faded wood and old paint, only the faintest tinge of wet foliage and earth from outside sneaking in through the cracks. Yet, under all those layers, I could pick out another warm, faintly musky scent, interwoven with a crisp smell, damped just enough by motor oil and lubricant that I couldn’t quite place the name…what was…?

 

“Dawn?” A warm hand on my shoulder made me jump and my eyes snapped open to meet Jacob’s partially concerned gaze, “You falling asleep on me?”

 

I blinked slowly to recollect myself and quickly shook my head, sitting up straight once more, “No, no, I…I’m sorry. I was just, uh…” I fished for an acceptable lie to give him, my ears burning at the idea of telling him I was getting lost in his scent. Yeah, I really wanted to sound like some kinda weird stalker or something… “I was just…thinking about Bella.”

 

“She still not liking our quaint little town?” Jacob smiled in understanding, reaching out to take another tool from his box before laying back and sliding under the Volkswagen once more. I hum quietly, leaning my head on my arms once more, “I think she’s getting used to it by now…but I’m more thinking about how things are going for her with Edward.”

 

“Those two not getting along?”

 

“Hm, they weren’t before…they had a disagreement after the accident and haven’t talked much since…but I think Edward’s trying to change that. He’s been trying to figure out his feelings for Bella since he met her. I talked to him about it yesterday and he decided to make his move today, at least try to talk to her more.”

 

“She’s got another admirer?” Jacob chuckled faintly, and I frowned, sensing the strain behind it, like he was trying to force the sound. I’d known Jacob too long to not know the difference between his genuine laugh and when he was forcing it. I’d noticed it before, too, when I’d told him about the way the guys at my school flocked around her, especially during her first couple of weeks, and when Mike and Eric had asked her to the dance. There was an uncomfortable pressure in my chest, like someone was squeezing my heart in a vice and I clenched my fists to alleviate the ache. “How’s Bella responding to his advances? I thought you said there wasn’t anyone in Forks she was interested in.”

 

“Hm, there isn’t, considering he doesn’t really live in the town.” I handed him a couple of nuts from his tool box, the tip of my tail twitching uneasily, “But, things seem different when it comes to Edward. She never really showed an interest in Mike or Eric the way she does him. Hell, she’s been even more depressed than usual since they haven’t been talking.”

 

“Well, I have heard the Cullens have a certain kinda of charm.” Jacob slid out from under the Volkswagen once more, wiping his brow on his forehead, the frown on his lips making the vice tighten around my heart, “Not really surprising, though, that family could live off their looks alone and still be sitting pretty.”

 

“Still sporting that soft spot for Bella, are you?” I had to work to inflict the teasing edge to my tone, feeling my chest tighten further as I forced a smile onto my lips, “Geeze, you haven’t seen her since you were twelve and you’re still crushing on my sister.”

 

Jacob’s cheeks pinkened and he glared at me, “I-I’m not crushing on her, D, I’m just concerned for her _because_ she’s your sister, that’s all. We all used to hang out as kids when she was here for the summer, too.”

 

“When she wasn’t sulking or throwing a fit.” I held up my hands as Jacob gave me another look, “Okay, okay, I’m done being a bitch and bashing my sister. But, be honest, Jake, do you still have a crush on Bella? It seemed like you did when we were kids, considering you just about fell all over yourself just to get her attention.”

 

Jacob won’t meet my gaze, his eyes on where he has a white-knuckled grip on the old rag in his hands; I sit up straight, rolling away from the car to get closer to him, leaning sideways in order to try to get a glimpse of his face. When he won’t even look up, I reach over to gently hook my finger under his chin, tilting it up until his eyes meet mine. The warm, hickory irises are clouded, distant, like he was lost in his own memories, his mind thousands of miles away. Beneath it, though, there is a certain kind of sparkle, one I recognized, even after being absent for years, a light that made my heart constrict tighter in my chest, almost to the point I stopped breathing; it was the same sparkle I saw light up his eyes whenever he saw or talked about Bella while we were growing up. An uncomfortable prickling sensation joined the tight feeling in my chest, a quick response to that sparkle in his eyes, familiar, yet different at the same time. I swallowed, pushing back the tightness in my throat and the sting at the back of my eyes, deciding to try to figure out these new feelings later and focus on helping my best friend now. I forced a gentle smile on my lips, cocking my head in, what I hoped, was a comforting way.

 

“Jake, you don’t have to be ashamed, you know…I might tease you about it, but there’s nothing wrong with you having a crush on Bella.” His brow furrowed quietly, but he didn’t make a move to speak as I brushed some loose hair out of his face, “I get it, okay? I might rip on her, but Bella’s a sweet woman. I can see why you and anyone else would have a crush on her. She’s kind and loving, selfless, and, even if she doesn’t believe it herself, she’s a beautiful young woman. Any single guy would have to be crazy not to like her.” One corner of his lips twitched upward in a weak smile, making it easier for me to keep the smile on my face, “Look…it seems like something might start between Edward and Bella.” It couldn’t be anymore obvious until the two printed that they loved each other on their foreheads, “But, who knows, it might not work out, so you might still have a chance.” I added quickly when the smile disappeared from his face, “Just…I don’t know, maybe try hanging out with her if you two hit it off on Saturday. Even if nothing happens between you two, it’s better you have a friendship than nothing at all, right?”

 

Jacob cocked his head the slightest bit to the side frowning thoughtfully for a moment. I couldn’t help but imagine a curious puppy as I watched him, and I had to suppress a laugh at the thought as he finally smiled once more, nodding, “You’re right, Dawn…it’s better to try and fail than to never have tried at all. Even if Bella and I just end up as friends, I can at least say I gave it a shot.”

 

“There you go.” I squeezed Jacob’s shoulder gently and his smile eased, expression softening, making me relax, just a little, “There it is, there’s that sweet smile.” I reached up to gently pinch his cheeks in an effort to make him laugh, feeling my heart lift as the gentle sound escaped his lips. I squeaked as I was suddenly pulled off the rolling chair into his embrace, his arms warm around my middle as they held me tight to him while I knelt between his legs. Ears warming, I wrapped my arms loosely around his shoulders.

 

“Thanks so much, Dawn.” Jacob squeezed my midriff gently in his arms, nestling his face into my shoulder, “You’re the best friend I could ask for.”

 

That tightness in my chest returned with greater force than before at his words and I was internally glad he couldn’t see my face right now…I didn’t even want to imagine the expression I must be wearing as I tried to remember how to reel my emotions in. I had to take a minute to swallow to clear my throat enough to speak without sounding upset, my arms tightening subconsciously around his shoulders as I did, “Of course, Jake…you know I’m always here for you. After all, what are friends for?”

 

The words felt like lead in my mouth as I spoke them, and I had to force myself to spit them out. I had never had a hard time saying it before, even when referring to Jacob, so why now…? Why was it suddenly so hard to associate the word ‘friend’ with him? He’d always been my best friend, he had been since we were babies and I never had a hard time admitting that, to him, to our families, to anyone else, but I had never claimed that Jake was anything more than that. He wasn’t my boyfriend or my mate, nor was he meant to be…at least, I didn’t _think_ he was…

 

Was he…?


	7. Tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooo my fellow pack members,  
> Ahh, finally I've got this chapter up, this took waaaaay longer than it should have. I know I keep saying this and apologizing and I am really sorry, but rl is still nuts with work and starting school, which makes it harder to have time to sit and write. But have no fear, because I am NOT stopping this story, it's gonna keep on going. I hope there are still those out there who are interested and, if there are, I sincerely thank you for sticking with my slow butt all this time. We're coming up on some really interesting sections of the story, which I'm looking forward to writing and I hope you'll all enjoy as well. I'm gonna try to get the next chapter up very soon.  
> Welp, I'd best start up on it. I'll see you all in the next one.  
> Signed, your alpha, ScarletMarieLeaf.

Today was the first time I could ever recall being more confused and on edge than I had been before I’d gone to spend time with Jacob…the onslaught of new thoughts and feelings that came up after our talk about his feelings for Bella was enough to send me reeling, so much so I did not linger too much longer there once he’d finished installing the starter into his Volkswagen. I came up with the excuse that I’d forgotten about an important project I needed to finish for Spanish before I escaped the suddenly suffocating air of the garage, just barely aware of Jacob calling after me as I went. I apologized for cutting our visit short but promised I would be able to spend more time with him on Saturday when I saw him at the beach as I got into my car. When I looked through my rearview mirror as I drove off his property, I could see Jacob standing where my car had been parked, staring after me with furrowed brows, casting a shadow over his usually warm eyes that made my heart constrict painfully. I would have to make this up to him the next time we hung out, once I’d recomposed myself and got my turbulent feelings under control….it wasn’t fair to my best friend if I was getting upset when he needed me to help sort through his feelings for my stepsister. I couldn’t be selfish when someone I cared about needed me…I just hoped I would be able to recollect myself enough by Saturday to be there for Jacob when he met Bella again…nothing worse than an incompetent wingman…woman…whatever…

 

Luck was on my side when I got home; even though I knew the middle school had already let out by now, Geoffrey had an important student council meeting today he couldn’t miss and Henry had already informed us yesterday he would be going over a friend’s house to hang out. Charlie wouldn’t be home from the station for a while yet. Bella’s truck was the only car in sight when I pulled around the final corner and I wondered vaguely where mama could have gone as I pulled into my usual spot.

 

_(I wonder if she left me a note…or sent me a text to let me know where she went…?)_ I frowned to myself as I climbed out of my Camry, reaching into the backseat to grab my bag before heading inside. When I checked my phone, I realized I’d missed a text message, but it wasn’t from mama. I raised an eyebrow, curious, at seeing it was from Edward.

 

_Whenever you get the chance to peel yourself away from your boyfriend, Dawn please be sure to check in on Bella for me, will you? I’m afraid today’s Biology lab did not sit well with her._

 

Ears burning, I shook my head as I climbed the front steps and let myself into the house, doing my best to ignore the way the word ‘boyfriend’ made my chest suddenly feel fluttery all of the sudden. Now was not the time for that…I could worry about that once I was sure Bella was okay…which I _should_ have been sure to do earlier, considering what our class had been doing in Biology today…

 

How could I have possibly forgotten Bella’s aversion to blood like that…? Sure, the blood lab today was dangerous for the Cullens and I considering it was a huge part of our diet, but that didn’t mean it didn’t have an effect on humans either. Some people, like Bella, had a weak enough constitution that just the sight, and, sometimes in her case, the scent, of blood was enough to make her faint. During her summers here she would get dizzy just seeing our brothers or myself getting a scrap from one of the trees outside. You would think with how…uncoordinated she was that Bella would be used to the sight of blood…I should’ve remembered to warn her about the lab before I’d left for La Push, but I guess I’d been so eager to see Jacob I hadn’t been thinking of much else…geeze, I hoped I wasn’t turning into the cliché school girl whose whole world revolved around her crush…I had way too much to worry about without getting wrapped up all that girly preening and prepping…I don’t have time to worry about fashion or doing my hair up with ribbons and bows. Not with what was going on now with Bella and everything that goes along with introducing my stepsister to the supernatural world.

 

First, though, I had to be sure she’d survived the blood lab today…

 

After putting my shoes and jacket where they belonged I made a pit stop in the kitchen to see if my mother had left a note letting us know where she was. Sure enough, I spotted my mother’s cursive on the small pad of paper we kept hung up on the fridge, announcing she had left the house to pay Esme a short visit. I smiled to myself, glad my mother had another woman she could relate to outside our family; sure she had friends at work just like I had at school, but it was always good to have someone who understood our situation, so we always had a friend we could turn to when we needed them. There were times when it got very tiresome and lonely keeping such a big secret, which was why it was nice having someone to share that burden with.

_(Well, it says she’ll be back by 5, at least…)_ I glanced up at the clock over the sink, which read 4:45 pm. _(I forgot to text her earlier while I was still at Jacob’s…ah well, I got home before her, so it isn’t that big a deal…)_ I sighed, tossing out the note before I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and stepped into the pantry. It only took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness as I closed the door behind me and crossed to the back corner of the room, reaching up to about stomach level to slip my fingers into a small, nearly unnoticeable hole in the faded brick. With a quick jerk of my fingers the wall popped out of place, swinging away to reveal an old wooden staircase leading upward. I stepped into the open doorway, pulling the wall closed before I started to climb the winding stairs.

 

Like most old houses this one had been built with more than its fair share of secrets; after discovering this staircase by accident while we were still in elementary school, Jacob and I had spent the better half of our childhood/pre-adolescence searching through every nook and cranny of this place to find all the secrets it held. As far as we knew, with the inclusion of this staircase here, there were at least half a dozen, including some that connected floors and rooms we hadn’t known about before. In the case of these stairs, they led right up to the storage closet in the attic. Kind of a cliché, considering the attic had originally been a library, but they were still useful, especially when I needed a shortcut downstairs if I was running late in the morning. More than likely this staircase was built as an alternate escape route should we get trapped upstairs during a break-in or something, even though I was sure we could handle any normal burglars that were foolish enough to try and rob us. A burglar would have to be pretty stupid to try to rob the town’s police chief, let alone our family. Well…at least we would have places for Charlie and Bella to hide should we be attacked by hostile supernaturals. I shuddered to think what could happen to either of them if they were to get in the middle of a fight while mama, the boys, and I were trying to protect them.

 

Shaking these thoughts out of my mind as I stepped out of the closet, I paused to allow my eyes to readjust to the weak sunlight that flooded the room from the enclosed porch to my left and the row of windows on the northeast wall across from me, blinking a couple of times to help focus before looking up toward Bella’s room above me. My ears inclined up, listening for movement when the bathroom door across the room slid open and I turned toward the noise, spotting my stepsister as she came out at the same second she noticed me. She made a beeline over as I closed the closet door.

 

“Where have _you_ been?” She demanded as soon as she reached me, her lips pursing as she crossed her arms; I quirked a brow, eerily reminded of mama whenever she was upset or disappointed in one of us.

 

“Went up to see Jacob in La Push. That okay with you, mom?” I walked past her to set my messenger bag on the couch and sit down so I could take off my shoes. She huffed, following me over, “I never took you as someone who ditched class to go make out with her boyfriend.”

 

“First off, he’s just a friend, you know that.” I sighed as I propped my feet up on the coffee table, wiggling my toes happily while I took a pull from my water bottle, “Second, everyone needs a mental break every once in a while. It’s healthy to ditch now and again.”

 

Bella’s eyebrows rose in surprise, as though I’d just said something she’d heard before, “…you and Edward could share a brain…”

 

“We share more than that, trust me.” I set the water bottle down and leaned back, groaning quietly as I stretched my arms over my head, “Sorry about not warning you about the lab today, Bells…should’ve told Edward about your aversion to blood.”

 

“So you did skip to avoid the lab….” Bella’s eyebrows pinched, causing a crease over the bridge of her nose as she eyed me, “But you’ve never had an aversion to blood…not that I noticed anyway…”

 

“Hm…well, it’s not an aversion per say…let’s just say the smell gets to me, too.” I shrugged, resting my arms on the back of the couch, “Especially when there’s a lot of it in a confined space. But, enough about me, how’re you feeling, Bells? Edward text me asking that I check in with you when I got home.”

 

Bella flushed at the mention of the vampire and she huffed, plopping down on the couch next to me with her cheeks puffed; I had to suppress my laughter at how she’d gone from looking like a worried mother to a little kid throwing a tantrum, “Look, I’m _fine_ , okay? Once I got out of the classroom and got some fresh air, I was fine…there’s no need to fuss.”

 

“Seems like it, if Edward wanted me to check in on you when I got back.” I eyed her, noticing her palette was a bit paler than usual. “You still do look a little pale, sis –“

 

“I’m _FINE_!” Bella insisted, her tone indicating that that was final, and she was _done_ talking about it. I held up my hands to show I submitted and took another sip from my water bottle as she huffed stubbornly, nodding, once, as though that settled the matter while she eyed me quietly for a moment, looking thoughtful now. I peered at her out of the corner of my eye.

 

“What is it?”

 

Bella pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, nibbling on the soft flesh with her teeth, like she was warrant to do when she was unsure or nervous, “Um…that supernatural book of yours’….that one you’re always reading….do you think I could…borrow it?”

 

I quirked an eyebrow to feign surprise at the request, although internally I was rejoicing that she’d _finally_ asked. It had certainly taken her long enough…maybe talking to Edward had helped pique her interest enough she was ready to give the book a chance.

 

“Of course, Bells. I thought you’d never ask.” I chuckled, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible as I unzipped my bag and dug said book out, holding it out to her. Her brows furrowed again as she took it, eyeing me once more, “Do you always have this thing on you?”

 

I shrug, “Of course, it’s my favorite book. Gives me something to read whenever I have a free moment. Plus, it gives me inspiration when I want to draw.”

 

“I noticed.” Bella had flipped the book open to a page I’d bookmarked with one of my drawings. It was one of my favorite sections on shapeshifters and the section that had helped me develop my skills in drawing animals. Growing up with this book had both taught me how to read and how to draw; I’d spend hours as a child copying the illustrations and developing my own art style along the way until I started drawing my own pictures. I still liked to come back to this book and look at the illustrations whenever I was having a mental block or needed inspiration, although I would often leave my pictures in it whenever I couldn’t finish them in one sitting. I gently took the unfinished drawing of Jacob I’d left in there, taking out my sketchbook with my other hand to tuck it safely within its pages instead. “Should I keep my eye out for any impromptu bookmark drawings in here?”

 

I hum in thought before shaking my head, “Nah, I think I have all of them in here.” I indicated my sketchbook as I put it back in my bag and reclined back into the couch, sighing as I leaned my head back, “So, how’d things go with Edward today?”

 

Bella froze in the middle of flipping absent-mindedly through the book, clearing her throat slowly as her face flooded with color again, her eyes avoiding my questioning gaze, “It was…interesting. A bit confusing, though…he never really got straight to the point.” Her eyebrows furrowed, as though she was trying to figure something out before finally looking up at me again, “Is he always so cryptic…?”

 

I couldn’t help chuckling lightly, smiling in amusement, not entirely surprised, considering the fine line Edward was walking on nowadays trying to keep our secret from getting out and getting to know Bella like he wanted, “He can be when he wants to.” I sip my water, tapping my foot against the coffee table in thought, “He’s just…nervous. If you hadn’t noticed before, he doesn’t exactly interact with a lot of people outside his family.”

 

Her eyebrows furrowed deeper, but she nodded slowly in agreement, pursing her lips quietly, “Well…I certainly knew a little more than I did before, but I don’t know a lot…” she sighed, running her fingers through her hair, frustrated. “I feel like I’m trying to put together one of those huge 1000 piece puzzles…trying to make sure I have all the pieces and figure out where they go…”

 

I couldn’t help but laugh faintly at the analogy, smiling at my step-sister in amusement, “Isn’t that the same as trying to get to know any other person on this planet? Not everyone is open or willing to share their life story with someone else right off the bat.”

 

“Not everyone hides huge secrets about themselves.” She argued and I nodded slowly in agreement, “True, they don’t. But don’t you think walking up to someone you’re interested in and blurting out your big secret on your first date wouldn’t be jumping the gun? I’d want to at least make it through a meal first. And –“ I held up a finger as Bella opened her mouth again, “Yes, you did make it through a meal with Edward, but the school cafeteria is not the ideal place to learn the in depth details about someone. Maybe try an actual date with him first, preferably somewhere you two won’t be interrupted by other jealous suiters.”

 

Her face scrunched at the reminder and she sighed, nodding, “Fine…I’m going to be spending time with him that weekend I’d planned on going to Seattle anyway…”

 

“Well there you go, get to know him more then. I’ll make myself scarce.” I nodded, inwardly relieved things were finally progressing; I’d been getting impatient and frustrated that things weren’t moving along like they should have been. Bella cocked her head a little, as though quietly asking if I was sure, pulling a chuckle from my throat, “I’m a big girl, Bells, I can find something to do that weekend, you know that.”

 

She nodded slowly, then sighed as she got up, “Well, I should see about finishing my homework before your mom gets home and starts dinner. Thanks for letting me borrow this.” She indicated my supernatural book as she walked around the coffee table, heading for the stairs leading up to her room. I gave her a two finger salute, “No problem, Bells. Be sure you don’t lose it now.” I teased, earning a glare from over her shoulder as she ascended the stairs. I chuckled to myself once more, watching her go before I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, settling in. Well, I guess this would be the point in which the phrase ‘patience is a virtue’ would come into play. Now that the book was in Bella’s hands it was up to her to do the research and actually utilize it as much as she was able so she could figure out the mystery that was Edward Cullen. Finding out my, mama, and the boys’ secret wasn’t as important at this second, considering this was probably going to be the man she ended up with for the rest of eternity, meaning she would have plenty of time to figure out what the rest of us were along the way. Just let her figure one thing out at a time instead of overwhelming her with too much at once. Although, I was quite looking forward to seeing her reaction when she realized about two thirds of her family were giant humanized dogs. Now that was going to be funny. Maybe I should tease her and ask for head scratches or act like an overexcited puppy sometime, just to see her face.

 

_(I’d say I could include Henry in on this but he isn’t exactly good at being subtle…)_ I scratched the inside of my ear with my pinkie nail, humming thoughtfully to myself as I did so. _(He and Emmett can be like a couple bulls in a china shop when they want to be, lug heads.)_ Shaking my head with an affectionate smile, I crossed my legs, trying to focus on the movie I’d picked, deciding to just let things lie for the next couple of days while Bella tried to get her head on straight and figure things out. Patience _was_ a virtue after all, and she would need to be able to focus if she wanted to finish this puzzle of hers’. Besides, it would probably be best not to push her tomorrow, especially since I knew Edward wouldn’t be in school due to the fact that he and Emmett were off on a hunting trip together. More than likely she would be distracted enough by his absence that most of the jokes I would try to make would just go right over her head anyway so it would really just be a moot point. And there was nothing worse than trying to talk to a brick wall if she decided to ignore me completely.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Friday was not quite as bad as I thought it might be, although I could definitely say there _were_ some low points; of course, after the lab the day before there were comments about Bella’s fainting episode, most of which she took in stride although I was sure to shut down any really nasty comments aimed her way, especially from Jessica, who seemed to get the biggest kick out of Bella’s weakness when it came to blood. Thankfully, she backed off as soon as I brought up that freak out episode she’d had in elementary school when one of the boys had put an earthworm in her hair while we were at recess. With her hair as wildly curly as it was the earthworm had almost immediately burrowed into its depths and she’d had to be sent to the nurse to get it taken out, all while she was bawling and freaking out like she was being put through the worse possible torture imaginable. Of course, Jessica gave me the dirtiest look a person could possibly conjure but let the matter drop and instead began questioning Bella about what had happened between her and Edward at lunch the day before, particularly as we were making our way to the cafeteria. Bella gave her vague answers, much like the ones she had given me the day before. This seemed to irritate Jessica to no end as she tried to keep prying for more information, which, I was quite impressed to see, my stepsister was not willing to give so easily. Sorry Jes, no new rumors for you to spread around today.

 

Bella did her usual sweep of the cafeteria as we walked inside, her shoulders slumping sadly when she only noticed Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper sitting at their usual table, their heads close together as they talked in hushed voices. I raised a hand to wave, indicating I’d be there in a minute before I got sucked into the conversation Mike had initiated about the beach trip tomorrow, a conversation which carried over to his, Jessica, and Bella’s table and had spread throughout the entire group. Mike had returned to his energetic self, excited that his plans seemed to be coming to fluxion as he talked excitedly about the weather report from this morning, his faith in the local weatherman palpable in every syllable he spoke. I watched as he talked animatedly, gesturing with his hands and practically crowing with happiness while I shook my head in amusement, trusting in his judgement, considering it was already close to sixty today. The air was warm, comfortable, a temperature that didn’t seem to be fading anytime soon from what I could sense, meaning the trip would at least be enjoyable. We’d probably still have to worry about some rain, but at least we wouldn’t be freezing.

 

“You’ll be coming with us tomorrow, won’t you, Dawn?” Tyler looked up at me from where I stood behind Bella’s chair, looking over from sipping my water and nodding, “Yeah, my co-worker, Annie, owed me a favor and promised to pick up my shift tomorrow so I’ll be able to come.”

 

Tyler beamed at this news and out of the corner of my eye I noticed Lauren lift her head from shooting Bella some nasty looks to direct them at me now. My ears pressed back against the top of my head angrily and I turned my gaze on her now, narrowing my eyes tightly; okay, I could understand being jealous since I knew she liked Tyler, but this kind of attitude was not unusual for Lauren. She’d always been one of the popular crowd, one of those mean girls type of people, kinda like Rosalie, just…well, a bit worse. Naturally, of course, that meant Lauren and I did not get along; she’d always picked on me for looking different as a kid, due mostly in part to the highlights in my hair and I’d fight back when she’d piss me off. As we got older, my responses got more intelligent than really physical, although there were a couple instances in which she pissed me off enough that I’d lash out…I’d broken her nose at least once and given her a couple of black eyes, which eventually made her keep her distance, although she would still shoot me nasty looks, obviously still miffed.

 

Well that was fine by me, so long as miss queen bee left my sister and I alone we wouldn’t have a damn problem.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

When Bella told our parents about our plans to head up to La Push with our classmates the following morning, they were enthusiastic about the outing, mostly due in part to seeing that Bella was making friends with the other kids in our grade. It helped they all knew everyone who was going and their parents so they knew we would be going with a good group. I was careful not to bring up the trip to Seattle again and Bella’s plans to ride with Edward, though; she could deal with that on her own time, if she ever planned to let anyone else know. That was her choice, though, not mine.

 

“Hey, uh, dad, Elizabeth, do either of you know about a place called Goat Rocks or something?” Bella looked between Charlie and mama as they looked up at her question, raising their eyebrows together in question, “It’s someplace south of Mount Rainier, I think.”

 

“Course we do, it’s a great hunting spot when it’s in season.” Mama cocked her head, as though curious, “Why do you ask?”

 

Bella shrugged a bit, “Just thought I heard some kids talking about camping up there.”

 

“Not really the best camping spot, that place.” Charlie gruffed around his mouthful of lasagna. “It’s a common spot for bears.”

 

“Oh.” Bella lowered her gaze to her bowl quietly, missing the knowing look mama and I exchanged, both of us knowing she’d probably heard about the place from Edward. Well, it certainly wasn’t the most ideal place for humans to camp, but it was for vampires to hunt when it was necessary. “Maybe I heard the name wrong.”

 

I hummed quietly into my milk, deciding to just keep the truth about that spot to myself for now. She’d only just asked to borrow my supernatural book yesterday, so I doubted she’d had much time to read through it all too thoroughly, let alone figure out what she needed to. If she asked later maybe I’d tell her but, for now, it was best just to keep quiet.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

I rose with the sun as I usually did on the weekends and was surprised by a clear cyan sky as I opened the curtains, blinking in the bright morning light as it flooded my room, allowing my gaze to run along the mountains that made up the horizon, which was ringed by thin, wispy gray clouds. Wow, it was absolutely gorgeous out today, but then those rare times we actually had a day without clouds were always gorgeous. I would have to start watching that weatherman Mike had been talking up the last couple of days.

 

Enthusiastic about having a beautiful sunny outing at the beach, I got dressed and ready for the day, packing a couple of extra-large towels into a duffle for Bella and I to sit on, a couple of water bottles, a book to read, my sketchbook, and pencil pouch to draw if I wanted to, although I had the feeling Jacob, Embry, and Quil were going to be keeping me busy enough today they likely wouldn’t be needed. Ah well, I liked having my sketchbook and a pencil on me, just in case.

 

When Bella and I left for the Newtons’ Olympic Outfitters, just north from town, we drove over in separate cars just in case an extra vehicle was needed for our group since I’d heard a lot of people would probably be joining in on the trip. Mama and I knew the store and had gone in a couple of times with Henry and Geoffrey to get fishing gear for Charlie for his birthday and Christmas so we knew Mr. and Mrs. Newton well, at least. As we pulled into the parking lot, I spotted Mike’s Suburban and a light blue minivan parked separately from where the rest of the group’s cars were around the side of the building and pulled up alongside Mike while Bella went to put her truck with the vehicles that would be staying behind. Tyler was beaming at me as I got out of my Camry and I raised a hand in a half-hearted wave as he walked over to join me, leaving Eric behind with a couple of other boys, Ben and Connor, from my Spanish class. Jessica was already there, of course, flanked by Angela and Lauren, as well as three other girls from school. One of them, who I recognized as one who shared gym class with Bella, gave my step-sister a dirty look as she walked around my car to join us before she turned to whisper something to Lauren. The blond shook out her long curtain of hair and gave her a scornful look while I furrowed my brows and turned to her quizzically, wondering what she could have possibly done to piss the girl off. Bella sighed heavily, as though she was bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders.

 

“I accidentally fell over that girl in Gym on Friday while we were playing basketball.” She clarified, which made me blink and then frown before turning to look at her again. The girl, Sarah, along with Lauren, were still glaring disdainfully in Bella’s direction, their arms crossed identically over their chests, as though they were trying to intimidate her. I bristled at the sight and flashed my eyes at the girls, stiffening my back as a way of a challenge and a way to tell them to back the hell off. I could get being irritated being tripped over but get the hell over it, it was an accident. The teacher shouldn’t have had Bella playing in the first place if she was going to be tripping all over herself and others. Sarah, another one of the more popular girls and one of my childhood bullies, flinched at my sharp glare, remembering what I’d done to Lauren in middle school, and immediately turned away, but Lauren just narrowed her eyes a though to tell me this wasn’t over as she turned her back deliberately on us to resume a conversation with Jessica. My ears laid flat and I lashed my tail, irritated, feeling some of my good mood evaporate at the knowledge we would have to deal with those two for the remainder of the day.

 

“You actually made it.” I looked up at Tyler’s voice, smiling faintly as Bella’s attention was drawn away by Mike, and shrugged, “Eh, I said I would. No way was I going to miss a gorgeous day like today.”

 

“Yeah, anyone would have to be crazy to miss out on this.” Tyler glanced up at the bright sky overhead, shielding his eyes against the sun for a second before turning to face me again, “I was gonna invite you to sit next to me in Mike’s car, but I’m guessing you’re going to be taking your Camry, huh?”

 

I grinned, “No way am I letting anyone else drive my car except me, especially you.” I teased, poking him in the chest, which shook with laughter as he glared playfully, “Hey, that was an accident, okay? My Sentra is still in one piece.”

 

“Yeah, only ‘cause your mom threatened to ground you until you were 40 if you didn’t take care of this car.”

 

Tyler’s smile looked close to splitting his face in half, causing laugh wrinkles around the corners of his eyes, “True, very true. But, hey, do you think I could ride along with you?”

 

I could feel Lauren’s glare from across the parking lot again, but I didn’t turn to acknowledge her as I gave another shrug, “Sure, you can have shot-gun if you want it.” I looked out over the group, humming thoughtfully to myself, “Everyone here yet?”

 

“Not yet, but we’re just waiting on Lee and Samantha. Unless you and Bella invited anyone?” I glanced up at Tyler then, seeing he was looking at me, his head cocked to the side curiously, like a dog’s. I hummed thoughtfully, scratching behind my faux ear, “Hm, I dunno about Bella but I invited some friends of mine from up in La Push. They’ll be meeting us at the beach later on, so we don’t really need to wait for them.”

 

“Oh, you mean those three guys from the reservation you hang out with sometimes?” Tyler smiled as I nodded, “Cool, I always wanted to meet them, they seemed like cool dudes.”

 

“They really are.” I chuckled, nodding, as my good mood returned at the thought of getting to see Jacob again, even though a small part of me warned I would have to share him with Bella soon. I ignored the uncomfortably tight feeling in my chest at the thought and cleared my throat, deciding to push those thoughts aside for now as I turned to find Bella once more, “Hey Bells, you wanna ride with Tyler and I? Still room for three more people in my Camry.”

 

Bella smiled gratefully at me as thought I’d just saved her from the lions’ den, “Sure, I’ll hop in with you guys, I wouldn’t want to crowd the other cars too much.” She smiled apologetically at Mike, whose face had fallen at this news, “Maybe Jess can take shotgun in the Suburban.”

 

Not looking appeased at this suggestion, Mike grumbled his, somewhat reluctant, agreement and turned to ask Jessica if she wanted to sit shot-gun in his car, which she immediately accepted, the glower she’d been directing at Bella fading instantly from her features. I shook my head to myself, wondering just how much like a damned drama this was going to turn out to be as Lee and Samantha arrived with two extra people, which made the need for all three cars all the more necessary.

 

“We’re riding with you.” I stiffened at the rude nasal voice that came from behind me as I unlocked my Camry so Tyler and Bella could get in. Straightening slowly, I turned to face the temperamental blond behind me, her arms still crossed tightly before her while her pale fishy green eyes were narrowed, as though she challenged me to object. Angela stood a couple of steps behind her, her head ducked with an apologetic look on her face. Furrowing my brows, I turned back to Lauren, frowning, knowing the only possible reason she would ever want to be caught dead in a vehicle with me was so she could get close to Tyler. Not having the patience today to argue, however, I gave Lauren a hard look to tell her she’d best watch herself before jerking my head toward the backseat and climbing into the front without a word. I heard her ‘hmph’ as I closed the driver’s side door and buckled myself in, watching Angela slide into the middle of the seat behind me while Lauren climbed in next to her and Bella occupied the seat on her other side. Tyler hummed as he buckled himself in, although it wasn’t long before Lauren had occupied his attention, leaving the rest of us to ride in silence.

 

Turning on my music to listen to during the ride, I did my best to drown out Lauren and Tyler’s conversation as I focused on the road, following at the back of the caravan the fifteen miles from Forks to La Push. The beautiful, towering trees bordering each side of the road reached up toward the clear sky overhead while sunlight shone down on us from above, bringing a comfortable warmth along with it as my gaze swept over the sparkling waves of the Quillayute River that wound its’ way through the dense forest.

 

I’d been around the beaches of La Push for most of my life, having often come here with my family and, more often in recent years, Jacob, Quil, and Embry when we wanted to get out of the house and go somewhere outdoors, so I knew the mile-long crescent shape of First Beach like the back of my hand. When we arrived and had reached the end of the trail leading from the parking lot to the actual beach, I paused to inhale the comforting scent of salt and seaweed, the breeze wafting up off the dark gray waves brushing pleasantly over my cheeks and blowing stray strands of hair back out of my face while I watched the white capped swells roll onto the rocky shore. Out in the bay islands rose up out of the rolling waters to form sheer cliff sides that reached uneven heights while austere, bellowing firs adorned the top, looming tall and proud against the expanse of the sky.

 

There was a very thin border of actual sand along the water’s edge, bordered on the other side by millions of large, smooth stones that separated it from the trail. Although mistakenly appearing gray from a distance the stones that littered the ground before us were multicolored, painted in every shade that they could be, from terra-cotta to a dull golden yellow that could almost rival the sun. Huge bleached driftwood trees littered the tide line, some piled together along the forest edge while others were scattered throughout, just out of reach of the waves at their current position.

 

Picking our way down to the sand, I made a direct beeline for the ring of driftwood logs placed around a shallow fire pit still full of black ash from the last party that had come through and dropped my duffle onto one of the logs before clearing the pit for the kindling Eric and Ben were already beginning to collect from the driftwood piles along the forests’ edge. I sat up as they approached with the wood and helped arrange it into a teepee-shape, dusting off my hands when we were finished.

“You ever seen a driftwood fire before, Bella?” Mike asked her as she’d taken a seat on the tree next to my duffle bag, cocking her head while the other girls around her were gossiping away about one thing or another. He knelt next to the fire, already lighting one of the smaller sticks with a lighter.

 

“No, Dawn never showed me it before.” Bella shot me a teasing glare and I grinned back at her, shrugging, before I turned to acknowledge Tyler as he asked if I wanted to help set up chairs. I smiled and nodded, pushing back to my feet to help while ignoring the spiteful glare Lauren directed at me as I walked past her. I was determined not to let her jealousy ruin such a great day and fell into easy conversation with Tyler as we set out chairs around the fire for people to sit comfortably.

 

After about a half hour a majority of the boys started talking about taking a hike up to the tide pools nearby and asked around the circle to see who else would be going. Although I loved the tide pools just about as much as the sea itself I knew I would be tempted to use my powers while there and decided to avoid that by staying here, even when Lauren decided to remain, too. Bella frowned at me as most of the other girls opted to stay behind as well while Angela and Jessica decided to tag along, cocking her head since she knew I loved the tide pools just about as much as she did. I chuckled, recognizing the question in her eyes even before she uttered it.

 

“Go on and enjoy yourself, Bells, I won’t stop you. Just be careful over there, all right? Don’t fall in one of the pools.” I teased, reminding her of the times she’d done so when Charlie would bring us to the tide pools as kids. Bella’s cheeks flamed at the memory, but she nodded her head in agreement before following the hiking group into the shade of the trees. Shaking my head, bemused, I grabbed my duffle from the bench and pulled out my towel, which I spread out on the sand by the fire; back arching, I stretched my hands up over my head with a content groan before flopping down, my head pillowed by my bag.

 

“Comfortable, Dawn?” Tyler chuckled from above me, smiling from his seat on the driftwood log to my right. I hummed, settling down on my towel with my hands folded over my stomach, “hmm, very….”

 

“Don’t fall asleep now.” He teased and I smiled lazily up at him in reply before his attention was once again captured by Lauren, who was occupied by the CD player one of the others had thought to bring along. I sighed to myself softly and took out my iPod, deciding to listen to my music while everyone else was doing their own thing, figuring Jacob and the others would be arriving a little later since it was still quite early.

 

Popping my headphones into my ears and turning on one of my favorites, I rest my iPod against my stomach and close my eyes, intent on getting lost in the music while I allowed myself to enjoy the serenity of the environment around me. The combined warmth of the sun overhead and the driftwood fire washed over me, reminding me of the feeling of sinking into a nice warm bath as it worked to relax the tension from each of my muscles, chasing away the chill of the cool breeze drifting up from the waves but leaving the scent of the sea, heavily inlaid with salt and wet wood. The beat of the music drowned out the natural sounds of the beach, although they would still sneak in between songs, the crash of the waves against the rocky shore accompanying the salt water scent and overtaking the shriek of the seagulls that rode the updrifts into the expanse of the sky. I sighed quietly to myself, sinking into the soft material of my beach towel as I relaxed.

 

I was starting to drift off to sleep when the sunlight warming the outside of my eyelids dimmed suddenly, as though something had moved in the way of the sun. I furrowed my brows, the change in light pulling me back to consciousness as I cracked an eye open, squinting up at the figure silhouetted against the sky above me. They cocked their head and I reached up to take one of my earbuds out, sensing they were trying to tell me something, my heart kicking up against my ribs at the familiar, husky voice that reached my ears.

 

“Comfy, D?”

 

Yanking my other headphone out and setting my iPod aside I sat up, stretching my arms over my head as Jacob stepped back to give me room, chuckling in amusement, “Did I wake you?”

 

I shook my head, “Nah, just enjoying the beach. I thought you guys would be coming later?” I checked the time on my iPod, almost surprised to see it was getting close to lunchtime about now. Jacob shrugged, claiming Bella’s beach towel from my duffle and taking a seat next to me on the ground. “We didn’t know how long you guys would be here since it’s supposed to rain a little later, so we thought we’d just come over now.”

 

Nodding, I glanced around to see where Quil and Embry were, smiling to myself when I noticed they had stopped to chat with some of my classmates; further on, near the waves, though, I spotted more people from the reservation, three more young men and a couple of young women. Although I didn’t recognize the two young women, I knew the three men; two of them, Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron, were in the same year as Bella and I, and the last man, the eldest of the group at the age of 19, was Sam Uley, a senior in high school. I’d met each of the boys at one point or another during my visits up to La Push although I hadn’t spent a lot of time around any of them. The most I knew about any of them was that Paul had a temper and Jared was a playful flirt. He’d always joke and flirt with me whenever we saw one another but nothing ever escalated past that. As for Sam, our mothers talked sometimes so we’d interacted a handful of times, but we otherwise had completely different lives.

 

“So…what was all that about on Thursday?” I returned my attention to Jacob, who was watching me closely, one eyebrow raised in question. Feeling my ears warning at the memory of my abrupt departure a couple of days before I rubbed my neck, avoiding his gaze, “Sorry, Jake, I didn’t mean to leave so abruptly like I did…I just remembered I really needed to get something done for Spanish…” I sighed, shaking my head, “Projects like that make up about half our grade and I didn’t want to lose any points if I turned it in late.”

 

“You usually don’t forget stuff like that, though.” Jacob furrowed his brow, concerned, and I chuckled, “Well, it can happen sometimes if a person is stressed. I guess with everything that’s been going on at home, it just slipped my mind.”

 

“Dawn…are you sure nothing else is bothering you…?” My heart jumped when his hand enveloped mine and I turned to look at him again, trying to suppress the shudder that rolled down my spine at the intense look in his eyes, which smoldered with worry as they bore deep into mine, probing, inquisitive, for what I could be hiding. I pushed down the onslaught of emotions and hormones that bombarded my mind, taking a quick moment to recollect my mental facilities before I smiled reassuringly, turning my hand over in his to squeeze it gently, staring determinately back at him, “I’m sure, Jacob. And, even if there was, I would tell you. I tell you everything, anyway.” Well… _almost_ everything…

 

His frown deepened, just the slightest bit, as though he didn’t quite believe me as he searched my eyes for another moment before sighing slowly and nodding, “All right…but, you know, if something comes up –“

 

“You’ll be the first to know.” I chuckled, smiling reassuringly as I kissed his cheek, “Now, let’s stop worrying about me, all right? I’ve still got to reintroduce you to Bella. Ah, here she comes now.” I raised a hand to catch my stepsister’s attention when I spotted her and Angela making their way back behind the rest of their group. The boys hurried toward us to claim a share of the food that was now being passed around and I snagged a couple of sandwiches and sodas for Jacob and I, crossing my legs so Jacob could move over to share my towel while Bella and Angela took hers’. They each took a sandwich and soda for themselves as well, Bella smiling faintly in gratitude to Mike as she settled down while Eric introduced our group and Sam reciprocated by rattling off the names of his. I caught the names of the two women with them, Jessica and Kim, before returning my attention to our small group to introduce Jacob to Bella and Angela.

 

Angela said a quiet hello while Bella cocked her head, curious, and Jacob pointed out she’d bought his dad’s truck. Recognition ignited in her eyes as she shook his hand and the two fell into easy conversation. Bella asked about Jacob’s older sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, who were about a year older than we were, looking around at the reservation girls to see if she could spot them but Jacob told her they weren’t here; Rachel was off in Washington State on a scholarship and Rebecca had moved to Hawaii to live with her husband, who was a Samoan surfer. Of course she would remember them since Charlie and Billy had tried to get them to be friends during Bella’s visits here, although they’d all been too shy to make much progress in the friendship department…and, of course, it didn’t help that Bella had been prone to kicking up tantrums that often ended our get togethers fairly quickly. I smiled quietly as their conversation moved on to her truck and turned away to give them privacy, glancing up at the sky.

 

Clouds were beginning to advance across the once clear sky, sliding slowly across the sun and casting a familiar shadow over the beach, turning the waves black. I sighed, leaning back into my duffle as I listened absentmindedly to the conversations of the group around me, content with sitting here with Jacob, Bella, and Angela, the later of whom seemed just as content to sit in silence as I was. It was one thing I liked most about Angela, aside from her kindness and gentle nature, I never had to worry about forcing a conversation with her, we could sit in silence and be perfectly fine. Probably one reason why she was one of the few humans in school I liked being around.

 

People were beginning to split off into groups of twos and threes by the time everyone finished eating; some wandered off down by the waves to skip rocks off the rolling water while a second expedition to the tide pools was being planned. Our Jessica followed Mike back to the cars to make a stop at one of the shops in the village, followed by several of the local kids while a few others decided to go on the hike. I got up to stretch as Angela went with the group headed back for the tide pools, groaning in appreciation and sighing quietly. Taylor and Lauren were the only other people left around the fire aside from Jacob, Bella, and I, as they had returned their attention to the CD player. I was just wondering if I should go for a walk down by the waves myself when something Jacob and Bella did caught Lauren’s attention, making her turn her pale, fishy eyes on them.

 

“You two know each other, hm?” She quirked a brow at them from across the fire, attempting an insolent tone. I rolled my eyes.

 

“We ALL know each other, Lauren, we have since we were kids.” I crossed my arms as she glared up at me, her silent way of telling me she wasn’t talking to me, her lip curling, “How nice. Anyway, Bella.” She returned her attention to her, “Taylor and I were just saying how sad it was that none of the Cullens could come out with us today. I guess no one thought to invite them.” She cocked her head as a way to appear concerned, although it was not very convincing.

 

“Are you referring to Dr. Carlisle Cullen’s family?” Sam spoke up from the edge of the fire, making me jump, since I hadn’t noticed he was still there, although I couldn’t bring myself to be mad when I saw how irritated Lauren became at the interruption. I suppressed a smirk as she grit her jaw and turned slowly to face him again.

 

“Yes.” Her tone had turned condescending, which made me bristle again, “Do you know them?”

 

“The Cullens don’t come here.” He answered in a firm voice, ignoring Lauren’s question as he peered sideways at me; I crossed my arms, not missing the secretive undertone in his voice. Lauren pursed her lips, still obviously irritated at the interruption, although the look Sam and I exchanged did not escape her notice.

 

“You two know one another, do you?” She looked between us, eyeing me critically. I sighed inwardly, suppressing the urge to rub my temples. “Yeah, we do, Lauren, I know people outside school, shocker. Now why don’t you pay a little more attention to your own life instead of someone else’s and maybe you’ll get somewhere with your crush.”

 

Lauren’s eyes widened at the comment, flashing toward Taylor, who had frozen in his seat and was staring at her in shock before she turned to glower at me once more. I rolled my eyes, so far beyond caring that I turned away from her, noticing for the first time that I was now alone. Scanning the beach, I spotted Bella and Jacob headed in the direction of the driftwood seawall to the north. From here I could see Bella making a, somewhat successful, attempt at flirting with Jacob, fluttering her eyelashes much in the way girls on TV did, which made him blush, one hand reaching back to rub at his neck, like she’d said something that either embarrassed or flattered him. My chest tightened at the sight and my ears pressed back against the top of my head at seeing just how elated Jacob seemed as the two walked away, although I tried to stamp these feelings down along with the sudden urge I got to run over there and get between the two. I’d promised Jacob I would help him talk and get close to Bella again so he could get to know her and that’s what I’d done…it would be unfair of me to go back on my promise and interfere now…besides, it would be good for Bella to have friends outside the Cullens and myself, actual _human_ friends she could hang out with instead of supernaturals all the time. Even if it made him jealous, I’m sure Edward would agree with me on that.

 

Suddenly feeling restless just sitting there stewing in my own thoughts, I got to my feet and headed south up the beach, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket to keep my fingers warm; the clouds that had encroached around the edges of the horizon had finally rolled across the sky, closing ranks over the sun once more, turning the sea into a black, heaving mass as the temperature dipped once more. A cold breeze blew up from the waves and swept my hair out of my face as I stared out over the waves, reminding myself that this is what Jacob wanted and it wasn’t right to interfere further, even though there was something pulling at me, yelling that I needed to go after them and stop this from progressing further. They couldn’t be together like that….not like that…

 

“Dawn.” The deep voice made me jump, jerking me back from my thoughts. I whipped around, blinking, and frowned when I noticed Sam had followed me down to the edge of the water and was watching with a quirked brow. Warmth crept up my neck and I cleared my throat slowly, trying to recollect myself.

 

“Hey Sam.” I crossed my arms and cocked my head, curious, “What’s up?”

 

Sam eyed me, frowning quietly to himself before he let out a low hum, crossing his own arms, “Your stepsister knows the Cullens.”

 

I quirked a brow, “I’m pretty sure everyone knows the Cullens, this town isn’t exactly all that big.”

 

He narrowed his eyes, “You know what I mean, Dawn…she’s getting close to them, just as you have.” My ears pressed back against the top of my head at his tone, like he was trying to make me feel guilty about making friends with the Cullens. Although Sam and I hardly ever interacted with one another there was still another aspect to our relationship that most of my classmates wouldn’t understand. He had a secret just as the Cullens and I did… “Does Bella know? About our world?”

 

My frown deepens and I shake my head, “No, not yet…but we’re trying to get her to figure it out herself…just like with Charlie.”

 

“So she can be with one of the Cullens.” It was more a statement than a question.

 

“Kinda hard for them to have a relationship if they’re not honest with one another, isn’t it?” I frown as Sam shakes his head slowly, disapprovingly, “She’s still only human, it isn’t going to end well if she’s going to be with him and we both know it. You know our treaty –“

 

“Which states they can’t feed on humans or turn anyone on this land unless they want to start a war. There is nothing that says they cannot be with a human.” I pointed out, “The Cullens haven’t forgotten the treaty they made with your tribe the first time they came through here and neither has my family. Edward just wants to try things with her.”

 

“He cannot possibly believe he can be with Bella for the rest of her natural life. She would not be able to survive.”

 

“Charlie’s survived being my mother for fifteen years.”

 

“Elizabeth is a demon, not a leech.” Sam growled, his voice deepening as his eyes flashed warningly. I recognized the tone of his voice, knowing my mother used the same tone whenever my brothers or I were getting out of line; it was the voice of an alpha, commonly only used to keep unruly pack members in line or show a wolf’s power/status to others. I raised my chin defiantly to show I was not going to submit even though I was not of a high status as alpha yet myself, knowing I could do so since I was not a part of the Quileute pack and, therefore, outside Sam’s command. My family had been mediators between the Quileutes and the Cullens since the first time they had come to this land, allies to both groups, but that didn’t mean either had command over us. Sam was a member of the newest generation of the pack, but he knew that as well as any of the older tribe members.

 

“Everyone deserves happiness, Sam, and Edward is no different.” I met his gaze evenly, “Every creature on this earth has their own strengths and weaknesses, _you_ more than anyone should understand that.”

 

Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and I looked past Sam toward the driftwood circle; most of my classmates had returned and were starting to pack up as rain was beginning to fall from the glowering sky overhead. I caught Angela’s eye as she looked around for where I’d gone, and I raised a hand to tell her I was coming before turning back to Sam.

 

“I’m going to be watching the relationship closely to see how it goes, but I can assure you Edward has no intention to change Bella. We will contact you if that changes.”

 

Sam was silent as I headed back toward the circle and smiled gratefully at Angela as she held out my duffle bag, which she’d packed up for me while I’d been preoccupied. Heaving the strap onto my shoulder, I looked up as Mike and Jessica rejoined us with Bella and Jacob in tow, feeling that ache return at seeing how much closer the latter two seemed after their talk. Forcing that ache back, I smiled gently at the two, chuckling as Mike hurried Bella away, as though eager to get her away from Jacob as quickly as possible.

 

“You two have fun?” I quirked a brow, bemused, at my best friend as we fell into step alongside one another on the way back to the parking lot. Jacob chuckled and nodded, smiling gratefully at me, “Yeah, we did. Thanks for reintroducing us, Dawn.” I shrugged, like it was no big deal, “Eh, you asked me to, what was I gonna do, let you two sit there in awkward silence?” Jacob chuckled, bemused. “What’d you guys talk about anyway?”

 

“Told her some of the old Quiluete folklore.” Jacob hummed; I quirked a brow, “You mean those old ghost stories Billy used to tell us when we were kids?” He nodded and I laughed faintly, knowing he didn’t believe in those stories since he didn’t know the truth about them, “Oooh, you’re gonna be in trouble, those were supposed to be secrets.”

 

“Only if you say something to our dads.” Jacob grinned as I snorted, shaking my head, “Nah, I won’t say anything about it. Charlie’s still miffed about you guys not going to the hospital anymore because Carlisle works there now.”

 

Jacob chuckled lightly once more, smiling gratefully at me once more as I unlocked my Camry and put my duffle into the trunk, “You think we’ll be able to hang out again soon, D?”

 

I smiled up at him as I closed the trunk, “We should be able to, things are calming down at home so I should have more free time soon. Maybe one of these days I can come pick you up and we can hang out at my place, maybe play some video games. You’d get to see Bella more, too.”

 

Jacob beamed at that and whooped excitedly, “Heh, then I’d get to impress her by showing her my mad skills in Mario Kart.”

 

“Oh yeah, your mad skills at losing, to me.” I teased, grinning at him; he wrinkled his nose playfully at me, smirking in amusement, “Getting a bit cocky there, D?”

 

I chuckled, “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not, we’re gonna have to find out during our next gaming sess, won’t we? I’ll call you with the date and time, Jake.”

 

Jacob hummed as I climbed into the driver’s seat of my Camry, “I look forward to it.” I smiled at him as he pushed the door closed behind me while I started up the car, “So do I.”

**Author's Note:**

> Being of Japanese descent, Dawn, her mother, and brothers are fluent in Japanese and often speak it when upset or they’ll use phrases in their native language, especially with their charms. This is the translation of what Dawn said:  
> (*) Wolf in the den


End file.
